


One Last Time

by ineedathesaurus



Category: Persona 3
Genre: Arranged Marriage, Eventual Romance, F/M, Family, First Time, Hotels, Japan, Motorcycles, Restaurants, Road Trips, Running Away, Shower Sex, Sick Character, Vacation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-02
Updated: 2018-11-02
Packaged: 2019-08-14 16:41:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 5
Words: 30,092
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16496327
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ineedathesaurus/pseuds/ineedathesaurus
Summary: With her father's passing, Kirijo Group in a mess, and the Dark Hour Mitsuru Kirijo had a lot on her plate. So she was more than surprised when Minato suggested she drop everything . . . even just for a weekend.





	1. Chapter One

The year 2009 had been an eventful year to say the least.

Things had happened so fast in the span of a few months that it was hard to believe that it was already December. They had gained things like knowledge of the Dark Hour, exploration of Tartarus and valued combatants whom she could now consider as her closest friends.

But all these gains came in exchange for several other things stress for one as they had to balance school life, their personal life and battling shadows at a very unholy hour . In every new member they gain they lost another, up till now Akihito would space out every once in a while by the mere mention of Shinjiro’s name.

Trust was also an issue in the SEES. At first it was Iori not accepting Arisato’s leadership, then there was Takeba being uncomfortable around her, but not could take the cake like Ken and Shinjiro’s relationship.

Even before the year started Mitsuru was holding a lot in her plate. She was the leader that everyone looked up to. She was the big sister that always knew what to say and how to deal with situations. She was the bright future of the Kirijo Group. Weakness was something she could not show of be associated with, even as a girl she had already maintained an unbreakable resolve. She had been called an ice queen for a reason.

It would eventually break when her father died.

Ikutsuki’s betrayal was already a lot to take in. To think the man that they talked to and interacted with in the dorm so often would do such a thing to them, by the time he killed her father Mitsuru had started to question everything.

She had been, after the incident, described as ‘dead girl walking’. Her teammates would not judge her if she broke down, they knew the pain of losing a love one was difficult. Though despite that she still had a bit of pride left in her, enough to not cry in front of them that is. She had her moments but they were safely tucked away within the four walls of her room.

It was only during their Kyoto trip and Take . . . Yukari’s encouraging words (which included slapping her in the face, the first and hopefully last time she would experience such a thing) that she was able to rise from her self-pity.

A new challenge now arose for the young heiress. She was now the de-facto of head of the conglomerate, and everyone in the company were already thinking of ways to bring her down.

“Senpai, is something bothering you?”

Mitsuru had broken away from her thoughts and realized that she was in the school library.  She then turned to the person who just spoke it was Arisato.

As casual as always, hands in his pocket, improper posture, and headphones dangling from his neck. “You seem to be in deep thought”

“I was just . . .” Misturu tried to choose her words carefully “Reflecting on what happened . . . this past year had been . . . an experience”

There was a twist on his mouth “You could say that . . .”

Then out of the blue she asked “How do you handle it?”

He seemed taken aback by her inquiry “Pardon?”

“I mean” she rubbed her chin “I’m sure when you returned to Tatsumi Port Island you did not expect for these things to happen to you. I mean if you think about it everything that’s happened to us is . . . crazy.” She wondered if she sounded insensitive for saying such things.

Fortunately her kohai had nodded in understanding “You could say that, this entire year was like the plot of some young adult novel.” He turned to her with a little smirk “To be honest I half expected a vampire to come crawling to the dorm a few times”

“Shadow Vampires?” Mitsuru shook her head “Heaven forbid”

They had stopped talking, a companiable silence occured between the two. There were sounds of a few students whispering in the background wondering what the transfer kid was doing with the president. Other sounds included clicks of ball pens, clicking of keyboards from the library assistant and the occasional drop of a book.

“To answer your question” Arisato said after a while “To be honest I’m not sure.”

Mitsuru gave him an apologetic smile “It’s fine, I don’t expect you to have all the answers”

He continued “If I were to guess though, I think it’s by . . . talking” he saw the surprise on his senpai’s face “Yes I know it’s mundane”

“Oh no” the redhead waved her hand “It’s just . . . I don’t think of you as a . . . what they say ‘chatter-box’”

The boy just chuckled at her comment “You’re right. I usually keep to myself most of the time. But lately ever since I came here I found myself interacting with people more often.” he rubbed the back of his head “I just find it therapeutic to listen to other people, so I still don’t talk that much, but I guess the people who I converse with don’t mind”

Mitsuru crossed her arms “I see, no wonder you got popular quite fast” she smiled “So if you don’t mind then, I’m sure it wouldn’t bother you if I told you my problems”

Arisato did a gesture with his hand “By all means senpai”

 

 

 

 

“I must admit, that was my first time to experience such a thing” Mitsuri said as they exited the theater. “I know it sounds foolish but I can’t help but be amazed at how different it is to view films in such a way”

Minato couldn’t help at smirk on how formal yet naïve his senpai was “If it comforts you, this was the first time I watched a French film in a movie theater”

“Is that so” he could see the curiosity on her face “Then may I ask what films do you normally watch?”

The boy shrugged “The usual summer blockbusters, though if I’m alone I usually go for noir films”

“Do you often go alone?”

“Every once in a while when I have time”

At this the redhead frowned “I’m afraid our work has reduced your free time”

He waved his hand dismissively “No it’s alright” he decided to change the topic “You seem to have an affinity for French films”

A smile formed on her face “Well they usually remind me of times with my mother. When I was a child she would often watch Rappeneau’s Cyrano de Bergerac or Jean-Luc Godard’s Pierrot Le Fou” her smile became a little somber afterwards “Those were simpler times”

Minato just nodded letting her relive those melancholy memories.

“Oh I’m sorry” the heiress apologized “It’s just . . . those films somehow gave me a sort of illusion of love”

The blue haired teen remained silent but was listening.

“I realized that love could be beautiful, tragic, heartwarming, depressing, absurd and majestic” the girl was looking across the street but her mind had wondered somewhere else “While I know that films aren’t a very accurate description of love I know that it’s a feeling . . . a strong feeling, not entirely wrong but surely right . . .” she faced him “Am I making sense now?”

“Well . . .” Minato placed his hands on his pockets “I understand where you’re going at . . . at least”

Mitsuru gave a little laugh, normally these sort of laughs irate Minato especially if it were from those gyaru girls from school, though for some reason he did like the sound from his senpai’s giggle.

“I’m sorry if I’m talking nonsense, though” she gave him a sort of serious look “May I ask . . . what are your views on marriage?”

Again taken aback “Umm . . . in general?” he thought for a moment, he never really thought of these things “I guess it’s . . . a union between two parties who love each other?”

“Is that so?” a tiny smile formed on her lips “Must love always be the reason?”

Without giving a second thought he said “Yes”

“My . . .” Mitsuru teased “I didn’t know you were a romantic”

Her kohai tried to fight off a blush “Well love was considered the foundation that surrounds a family. If there’s no love well then . . . you’re just two people living in the same house”

“You have a point” the redhead tucked her hair behind her ear “But there are reasons why love is sometimes considered idealistic”

Minato observed the young lady’s body language and facial expression, she was definitely in deep thoughts of something and if their conversation was any sign he seemed to have an idea on what’s going on with her. He was about to say something only but was cut off by her.

“I think we’ve been talking outside for a while” she looked at the grey skies “You should head back to the dorm before it rains”

“Umm . . . senpai  . . .”

“I . . . have some business to take care of” she bowed at him “Excuse me”

Minato watched her retreating figure and couldn’t help but sigh. He shouldn’t force it out of her he thought, he’ll just have to wait until she talks to him about it. He had time.

 

 

It didn’t seem to be as soon as he thought as he’d received a text message from her during Christmas Eve:

_I apologize for the late notice, but do you have plans for the night?_

Looks like he’ll have to free his schedule tonight.

 

 

 

 

While her outing with Arisato wasn’t exactly ‘a date’, it still seemed like an occasion that required a little bit of dressing up. When she offered to the young blue haired swordsman she assumed they were just gonna hang out in the mall and eat at Ducky Burger.

So she was more than surprised when he suggested they go out for dinner at a slightly established sushi place.

It wasn’t exactly formal dining but it seemed rude to just enter the restaurant in uniforms. It was Christmas Eve so maybe they should enjoy the festivities of it all.

Which lead to her current situation: what should she wear?

It wasn’t that she didn’t have clothes, she had more than enough. When she moved to the dorm her stylists made sure she had enough clothes to fit for every occasion . . . well almost.

She didn’t have one for ‘Christmas outing with teammate’ or ‘Friendly dinner with close friend’. If she wore something too formal she knew it would be an insult to Arisato, if she wore casual attire like her biker clothes she knew it would just be plain out of place.

“I don’t even remember owning this much clothes” she said looking over hangers upon hangers of clothing.

“I have to say . . . I never saw you this . . . girly” Mitsuru jumped tossing a couple of clothes in the process.

She turned around to see her silver haired childhood friend stood by the door “Akihito!”

The boxer chuckled “Relax” he closed the door behind him “You’re going out?”

“Umm . . .” the redhead tried to hide her blush by covering her lower face with a dress “Yes”

“Hmm . . . strange” Akihito smirked “Arisato said he was going out as well”

Mitsuru turned her back on him “Well . . . its Christmas Eve, I’m sure the others have plans as well. Don’t you?”

The boxer shrugged “Well I don’t know about the others but I’m just gonna watch Christmas specials with Kuromaru and Ken then order take-out”

“You seem to be getting along with Ama . . . Ken” Mitsuru said.

The teen crossed his arms “Everything that happened to him was out of his control, in the end he’s still just a kid. Shinjiro in a sense found redemption from what he did for the kid” he smiled solemnly “So I’m gonna do my best to give the kid as much of a childhood as I can, for Shinjiro and Ken”

The heiress played her fingers on the fabric of the dress she held “I still don’t know if he would forgive me. I’m the solid representation of everything he hates, especially now that I’m the head”

“Don’t start blaming yourself again” Akihito said sternly “Ken knows you’re not responsible for everything your family did. We all don’t blame you for what happened”

“You’re right” Mitsuru smiled “I guess I still have a little self-doubt”

The boxer went over to his friend and placed a hand on her shoulder “You’ve been through a lot, I think this date with Arisato is what you need”

At the mention of their kohai’s name the young lady’s face immediately went red “It’s not a date!” she turned to him “I mean . . . we’re teammates . . . I mean . . . what makes you say it’s him . . . I mean . . . oh dear” she face palmed herself.

Akihito couldn’t help but laugh at the girl “You know, I could ask Yukari and Fuuka to help . . .”

“NOOOOO!” she pointed a finger at the boxer “If they find out they’ll definitely think I’m going on a date with him”

He shook his head; he definitely will never understand girls even if he grew up with one “Why hide it anyway? It’s just a date. You’re not gonna marry him or something”

It was in here Mitsuru lowered her finger and looked down at the floor.

“Did I say something wrong?”

The heiress looked bittersweet “Yeah . . . it’s just one date . . . nothing fruitful will happen from it”

 

 

 

 

 

Kenji’s recommendations never cease to amaze Minato. Despite the fact that the fellow Gekkoukan student had weird fetishes (and he thought his browsing history was bad), the kid knew a thing or two about restaurants and food establishments.

They were currently in a sushi restaurant not too far from town, it wasn’t too fancy and it wasn’t exactly just a stall outside a train station. He was currently dressed in a black turtleneck sweater and dark jeans, his brown coat was on his chair, and his ever present headphones were on hanging on his neck.

“I have to say Arisato I’m impressed” Mitsuru said looking at the décor of the establishment “Where did you hear of this place?”

After much deliberation (and Akihito just telling her too pick something or he was gonna tell Junpei) she decided to wear a white sleeveless tank top and tight blank pants with grey heels (Minato was not amused on how she wanted to be taller than him) and a black coat.

“Umm . . . Tomochika mentioned this place a few times” Minato said eying the menu, as suspected the dishes had weird names typical of a Kenji recommendation.

Mitsuru seemed to have noticed the odd names as well “My . . . is this one dish an actual sperm whale?”

“They even have elephant dung coffee” Minato rubbed his forehead “I rather not think of how they processed that”

His senpai chuckled at his reaction “Well then, this certainly is an experience”

“If we get food poisoning from this I’m throwing Tomochika off the roof of Tartarus” the blue haired teen said after they ordered.

“That’s a little too cruel” Mitsuru commented.

“If we compare it to your ‘execution’ jumping off Tartarus is basically just bungee jumping” he waved his hand dismissively.

The heiress smiled then took a look at the coffee “Are you sure you don’t want the elephant one?”

His answer was a quick and flat “No”

“Suit yourself” she said taking a sip of her cup.

Mitsuru couldn’t help but chuckle as Minato tried his best not to look disgusted at her for drinking the coffee.

“You know . . .” Mitsuru said after a while “This is the first time I spent Christmas outside of a party or business meeting”

Minato looked up from his green tea (he was not taking his chances on the coffee) “Is that why you were looking at the decorations earlier?”

“I know it might sound tiring for me to say things like that” Mitsuru tapped her coffee cup “But I lived quite a sheltered life you see, the last actual Christmas memory I had was when my father decided that we go to the mountains when I was a little girl”

The younger teen looked outside the window “Now that I think of it, I could hardly remember how I spend Christmas”

This perked the redhead’s curiosity “Really? Even last year?”

“Last year I remember playing Super Street Fighter II Turbo the entire Christmas Eve then sleeping the entire Christmas Day” he shrugged “Other than that the other years just seem to be a blur”

Mitsuru crossed her arms “I know this may sound like a sensitive topic to you, but if I may. Do you have any memories of your parents? Even before the accident?”

At the question Minato just smirked “I don’t”

“Ohh . . .” Mitsuru suddenly felt a little awkward.

Sensing her discomfort he face her “It’s alright, I guess the trauma from the accident made me forget the bad things and the good”

“It . . . just feels unfair” the lady said “I’ve been telling you all these memories of my childhood and here you are not remembering a single one from yours”

Before Minato could say anything their waiter had come and served their food. The conversation then shifted from comments on the sperm whale and odd color of the octopus Minato had ordered.

 

 

 

 

 

“Thank you”

They were currently heading back to the dorm; Mitsuru suggested walking as not only was it good exercise but she just didn’t want the evening to end yet.

Minato paused in his walking and turned to his senpai “You’re gonna take it back when your stomach starts rumbling tomorrow morning”

The redhead just laughed “I’m sure the food poisoning is just part of the experience Arisato”

“I’m starting to think the elephant is doing things to your head” he commented.

Mitsuru just shook her head as the continued walking; she observed the Christmas lights that filled the streets, the carolers that sang under the large tree and the families walking around laughing and singing along the songs. “Christmas seems more magical in here than in all the parties I went to”

“It’s also more crowded” Minato said dodging a few kids who were riding on top of their fathers shoulders.

The heiress replied by hooking her arm on his “There, we won’t be separated”

The younger teen looked at his senpai; he was about to say something but thought better of it and just let her be.

 

 

 

 

 

The pair walked through the crowd in silence appreciating the background noise provided by Christmas Carols and several men dressed as Santa ringing bells. It was nice to have an evening walk that didn’t involve green murky skies and bloody streets; the sense of normality was calming for them.

As they neared the dorm the noises started to get a little quieter. Though there were sounds of drunken men singing carols from their apartments or someone playing really loud Christmas music it wasn’t a nuisance.

At first Mitsuru thought she was being a little forward with her clinging unto her junior like that, but seeing as they walked the past hour with no complaint she assumed he either didn’t mind or said nothing to not embarrass her.

“You know you can let go now” Minato suddenly said.

She almost jumped in surprise, it was true they weren’t in a crowded place anymore and he of all people should know she was capable of defending herself.

Yet why did she feel saddened by the thought of letting go?

This was ridiculous she thought. He was probably uncomfortable with her clinging unto him, he was simply too polite to say no to her.

“I see” she said almost a little too sad as she loosened her grip.

He looked at her again “Are you sure your feet are okay? You’ve been walking in heels for quite some time now”

This immediately made the heiress look at her feet and indeed they were getting quite red. Her heeled boots were designed for comfort so it was fine if she ran a marathon with them, these grey ones though were not built for that sadly.

Now that she thought of it the back of her foot was starting to sting.

“I’m fine” she told her kohai “I wear heeled boots remember?”

He did not seem convinced “You were leaning unto me for support the whole walk”

“I’m perfectly fine Arisato” she said as she walked ahead of him enduring the stinging in her feet “See?”

“There was a reason why I said let go” he went over to the redhead “Now if you allow me Mitsuru-senpai, I advise that I carry you on the rest of the way”

At this her cheeks were almost as red as her sore feet “Oh . . . that is absolutely unnecessary”

“Well my next option was to get a cab” he looked at the seemingly empty street “But there’s no cab here and two . . .”

All at once the Christmas music that was blaring throughout the neighborhood stopped, the dark sky turned green and everything else just looked murky and dead.

“It’s Dark Hour . . .” Mitsuru sighed “Have we been out that long?”

“Apparently so” he replied.

The red head shook her head “Unbelievable, I’ve completely forgotten . . .” she stared at the dead atmosphere surrounding them.

Minato then brought out his evoker from his coat “I brought this just as a precaution”

At that the Kirijo heir let out a loud laugh.

The blue haired young man just blinked at her reaction.

“I’m sorry” she said wiping the tears from her eyes “It seems that I’m slipping”

“I don’t think so senpai” he tucked the gun back into his coat pocket “I don’t think there are shadows here to attack us at the moment”

At this she raised a brow “What makes you say that?”

In there they heard sounds of crashes, gun shots and a very familiar voice yelling out baseball references.

Mitsuru blinked “Is that Junpei?”

Shoving his hands on his pockets “I may or may have not told him about a Christmas Shadow going around”

“There’s no Christmas shadow”

“DIE YOU SANTA SHADOW!”

Minato smirked “Exactly”

Mitsuru shook her head “You’re impossible”

“Don’t worry I told Yukari to watch him” he then gave her a look “So shall we?”

“You’re still keen on carrying me”

“If you say no I’ll do it either way”

At this she blushed “Oh no! You do . . .” before she could say anything the kohai had already lifted her off the ground one arm holding her knees the other supporting her back.

For a moment Mitsuru froze only to later say “ARISATO PUT ME DOWN RIGHT THIS INSTANT!”

Ignoring his senpai’s kicking and screaming he ran the whole way back to the dorm.

As soon as they reached the dorm he had dropped her on the couch in the lobby and ran for his room to avoid an ‘execution’ from the riled up red head.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Despite the fact that Gekkoukan High had probably the largest book collection of all academic institutions in the region, Mitsuru couldn’t find what she was looking for. As she stared at the large shelves with various titles she couldn’t help but feel a sense of dread.

“Are you looking for something senpai?” a familiar voice asked.

Not even turning to look at the voice she replied “I can’t seem to find anything about marriage”

There was a moment of silence in which she assumed it was his way of saying she should elaborate.

“There are . . . a couple of issues going on in the Group” the girl sighed “I know I’m only a highschooler but as the daughter of the head it’s my duty to step up and take control of what my father left behind . . . even if it means sacrificing a few things”

It was in here he spoke “I presume . . . this sacrifice involves an arranged marriage”

She finally turned to him as per usual Arisato looked calm and had his hands in his pockets as always “How did you know? No one knows about it yet”

“I just assumed” he said “Judging from our conversations as of the late”

She nodded “I see, well yes, a ‘fiancé’ has been chosen for me” she sighed before continuing “He’s much more older than me and has more experience in the field than I do, the Group hopes that our marriage would be able to salvage the company from the mess it’s currently in”

“Are you sure you could do that?” Minato seemed quite concerned.

Mitsuru shook her head “To be honest no, I don’t think I can. I’ve met the man before and he seems . . . to rub me off in the wrong way. Sadly there’s nothing I could do”

The blue haired teen looked at the books behind her “I don’t think there’s an _Idiots Guide to Being a Trophy Wife_ ”

“Sadly there isn’t” she said forcing a smile “Ever since they told me I’ve been looking up on the topic and all I found are books focused on events before marriage . . . does that mean everything after marriage is depressing?”

“Were your parents happy during their marriage?” he suddenly asked.

She hummed “They were actually, in fact their marriage was arranged as well” she rubbed her chin “I guess it’s something inevitable, my fate has been sealed”

Minato faced the girl staring intently at her “You can’t just let them do that to you”

“Well . . . what should I do then?” she sounded exasperated “Just drop everything? There are employees who rely on this union I can’t just let them down. I just can’t let my family’s legacy crumble just because of a selfish reason.”

The younger boy sighed and looked up at the ceiling “Why not? There’s nothing wrong with a young woman dropping her responsibilities to go on a journey of self-discovery”

Mitsuru faced him “Are you serious right now?”

“You’re still young; you should enjoy your youth as much as you can” he then looked at her “Because when you grow old you might just regret everything”

“Minato . . .”

“But I’m just rambling” he shrugged “It’s your decision either way”

Mitsuru bit her lip contemplating on what he just said. There was a long silence after that, Minato was about to leave thinking that the conversation was already over until she spoke again.

“If I . . . were to . . .” she held unto her arm “Go on this so called ‘journey’” she looked at him “Would you consider joining me”

This was not a mere request Minato noted. From the way she looked at him and the way her voice was so soft he almost didn’t hear her. This was Mitsuru Kirijo at her most vulnerable, if he turned her down now she probably won’t show this side ever again.

Not that he planned on declining in the first place.

 


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With her father's passing, Kirijo Group in a mess, and the Dark Hour Mitsuru Kirijo had a lot on her plate. So she was more than surprised when Minato suggested she drop everything . . . even just for a weekend.

When he agreed on coming along with Mitsuru on an impromptu road trip he failed to calculate one thing: he was going to be sitting on the back of a motorcycle majority of the travel time (he could not convince his senpai to allow him to drive unlicensed) which could be uncomfortable after a few hours.  
This was why he was very thankful for the pit-stop they had in the middle of Toyokawa. He was currently stretching his limbs while Mitsuru was filling the gas. They had travelled for a good six hours, when Minato checked the watch on his phone it was a quarter past eleven.  
"Arisato could come here for a moment" the said girl called, it took Minato a moment to get used to his senpai's biker gear. She wore a tight black catsuit that showed off the redhead's every curve, he was sure the material wasn't leather as it would have been quite uncomfortable for her to drive in the midday heat.  
After doing one last arm stretch he went over to the girl who seemed to be in deep thought "Is something the matter?"  
"Umm . . . remember how I said we weren't going to use credit cards?" she whispered.  
He nodded "Yeah, you didn't want the company to detect your credit card spending"  
"Yes, as you see I had a cheque for my inheritance when father died and since I was busy last night I asked Akihito to cash it . . ."  
It was in here that Minato noticed she was carrying large looking pouch "Well, did he forget to encash it?"  
There was a look of disdain on Mitsuru's face "Oh he did, but . . ." in here she handed the pouch to him.  
Minato noticed that the pouch almost weighed a ton "What on . . ." he then opened the pouch and saw several coins filled inside, some even got out and fell to the floor.  
"That pouch contains a total of 54000 yen . . . in coins" Mitsuru grit her teeth "This is probably his way of getting back to me for making him leader while we're gone"  
The blue-haired boy put the how-many ton purse on the floor and picked up the coins that fell "Are they all 10 yen coins?"  
"I'm afraid so" she placed a hand on her hip "I wonder how the bank manages to give a teenager a thousand plus coins"  
"This is going to be a hassle when we pay for a hotel or food later" Minato struggling a bit in zipping the purse close. "Are you sure this is all Akihito? I won't be surprised if Junpei gave him the idea"  
"I can't believe we rode all the way here without realizing it" Mitsuru pouted.  
Minato sighed "I'll try to turn these coins into bills" he stood up holding the pouch "I suggest you change into something more comfortable for lunch"  
At this Mitsuru blinked "Is there something wrong with my clothes?"  
"At this rate" he looked at the few gas workers who were staring "People are going to think you're my sugar mommy or something"

* * *

  
After grabbing bills and changing into more casual pair the two decided to have lunch at a local café. In here Mitsuru decided to expound more of her culinary knowledge by ordered traditional Japanese sweets.  
"So this is a mochi ball?" she said squeezing the softball between her fingers "I see this quite a lot in school but never considered tasting them"  
"Is all the food you ever eat French or Italian?" Minato asked sipping his coffee.  
"Well I do eat Mediterranean dishes as well," the redhead said before popping the rice cake into her mouth.  
Minato couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of his sophisticated senpai shoving an entire mochi ball into her mouth and puffing her cheeks while chewing and swallowing.  
"So what did you think?" he asked after she swallowed.  
Her face when from curious to unsure and suddenly lighting up in delight "This is really good!" she said almost immediately shoving another ball into her mouth.  
The wildcard persona user shook his head, who knew the only thing to bring out a moe Mitsuru was food?  
After eating for a few more minutes the younger boy asked: "So do you have any idea or where we'd headed or are we just roaming around Japan till the gas money runs out?"  
Wiping her sugary mouth with a napkin she gave him a look "I'm not that kind of rich girl Arisato . . ." she then paused "Then again . . . isn't the purpose of a road trip of self-discovery to just go around until you find enlightenment?"  
"I have no idea, never really that much of a spiritualist" he shrugged.  
The girl pouted "You're the one who convinced me to do this in the first place"  
"Ok ok" Minato raised his hands "From what my understanding is when you're on the path to self-discovery you do not aim to find self-discovery"  
"Then how does one go on such a path" Mitsuru rubbed her chin "If what I read before is true it takes at least twenty years in the wilderness"  
"Senpai, I think you shouldn't dwell on it too much" he rubbed his forehead "The whole point of dropping everything is to avoid the stress of overthinking"  
The heiress sighed "You're right, it's just that I have gotten used to having my entire life being planned out for me"  
"You'll learn eventually," Minato noticed that several other customers were coming in "I guess we should be going now"  
"You're right" the girl nodded but then frowned on their way out "But . . . where do you suppose we go to?"  
An idea formed on Minato's head, he wasn't sure if it was a good one but hey she wanted an experience right? "I think I have an idea"

* * *

  
If you had given a ten-year-old boy a hundred million dollars to design a restaurant then the result would probably be this place. Full of chrome dressed creatures, dinosaurs, neon lights and tribal drums, it seemed Aigis would fit in perfectly well.  
The place was also quite loud and had very very bright lights that could give you PTSD or LSD depending on how you looked at it. It was quite easy to get lost in the decorations, the robots fighting and everything in between.  
Now she started to wonder where her kohai had even heard of this place.  
"I assume this is another Tomochika recommendation" Mitsuru also noticed that the ‘servers' of the place were quite scantily clothed.  
"Ha?" aside from bright lights the restaurant also had loud sounds coming from everywhere making conversation kinda difficult.  
Trying to make her voice louder "Where did you hear about this place?!"  
Assuming she didn't say ‘I'm gonna tear your face' Makoto replied with "I came here once before!"  
"OH Yes!" Mitsuru remembered from reading his file before he moved into the dorm "You studied in Tokyo for two years!"  
Not really hearing anything he just nodded.  
That was when the lights went off all eyes were on stage, it appears that the show was going to start. Loud cheers were heard as the sound of what seemed to be tribal music started playing and tribal dancers began their ritual like performance. At first, it seemed like some dance performance only for it to get more random as time progressed with girls hitting a panda riding a mechanical cow with a hammer.  
What made it funnier to Minato was how intense Mitsuru was watching the whole performance; she might as well be watching theatre while holding up a pair of opera glasses.  
After watching random robot battles, a marching band and some performances that kinda looked overly sexual for your grandma the two left the restaurant.  
As they walked the evening streets of Shinjuku Mitsuru seemed to be pondering in deep thought.  
"So . . ." Minato smirked, "How was the experience?"  
The older girl finally looked at him "Well . . . I must say, they put out a very enthusiastic performance" she then added "Even though I could not exactly follow what the story was"  
The blue-haired boy shook his head "By the middle of it you understand that plot isn't exactly their main concern"  
"Though I admit I enjoyed the show" Mitsuru concluded "I've never seen anything quite like it"  
Minato stretched his arms "Well I guess we should be heading back to the hotel"  
At the mention of this, there was a slight blush on the heiress' cheeks "Are you sure you have no objections to our arrangement"  
"You said we were on a budget" Minato placed his hands on his pockets "And there are two beds"  
Rubbing her arm "I guess you're right, it's just that" she blushed harder "This is the first time I slept in the same room with another boy"  
"Oh boy" Minato sighed "If Junpei hears about this he's gonna bug me all year long about it"  
Looking away as they reached the hostel "I'm sure he already has ideas when we left them without prior notice"  
The boy just shrugged "I've dealt with romance rumours before, and it's Junpei all you have to do is poke his enough so he would stop"  
She looked at him "Are you referring to the rumours about you and Yukari?"  
He groaned "If you only know how many ‘suitors' tried to ‘kill' me for just talking to her it's crazy"  
"Well Yukari has a very likeable personality so it's not surprising she would have several admirers," she said as they headed towards their room "I hear even Fuuka has a few as well"  
Minato rubbed his forehead "She's too kind for her own good"  
They had reached their room on the second floor. The room contained a bunk bed, a bathroom and a space for their luggage. The space was quite small but it was quite cosy and they were only going to stay for the night.  
"Indeed" Mitsuru went over to her bag to get something. "I'm going to take a shower if you don't mind"  
"Umm . . ." the boy hesitated coming inside the room "I'll just walk outside for a while then"  
The girl brought out what seemed to be a hygiene kit "Are you sure? You seem quite tired"  
"Look" he raised his hands "Let's just say, I don't want to have another misunderstanding with a girl in the shower"  
The redhead cocked her head "Another? So you've had a misunderstanding involving a girl in the shower?"  
"I've had a misunderstanding with you in the hot springs before" Minato grumpily reminded, he found it weird that a moment ago this woman was concerned about them sleeping in the same room.  
Mitsuru went closer to him curiosity getting stronger "But you said it was all Junpei and Akihito's idea"  
Minato sighed "That doesn't mean I didn't see anything"  
At this moment the boy wondered if his Wild Card would save him from the possible execution from the young Kirijo. Instead of the angry look she had during that night in Kyoto, there was a smirk on her lips, and dare he says it, a seductive one.  
"So what did you think?" she coyly asked.  
What sick trick was fate doing to him "Excuse me?"  
Crossing her arms "I'm sorry I have to clarify, but I assume you had a good look at all of us during that incident, am I not wrong?"  
Of course, the woman would use mind games against him "There was steam so I doubt it was a clear vision" he could feel the sweat at the back of his neck by her gaze.  
"When we went to Yakushima I'm sure you had a clear view of us wearing swimsuits" Mitsuru prodded. "So who was the prettiest one among us then?"  
Minato tried to close "I think you need to take that shower senpai, I'll be back shortly" he then dashed off before she could say anything else.

* * *

  
As the reasonably hot water hit her face Mitsuru wondered why she did what she did awhile back.  
"Why does Arisato's taste in girls bother me?" she asked herself.  
Growing up the young girl never really cared much for outward appearances. She was usually dressed by her family stylists whenever she went to parties or even went out. So she did not really develop a taste in clothing as the people dressing her already picked everything for her.  
As she rubbed soap across her body she also noted she never had body issues as well. Being trained with a persona at such a young age she had already been training and thus had constant exercise. She was more focused on getting stronger and maintaining form than how thin her waist would be.  
Well maybe she did care about appearances, she thought as she let the hot water run over her body. Since she was quite young the board usually never took her seriously because of how she looked, it was in here when she started wearing her famous dark red lipstick. She didn't know why but there was something about painted red lips that gave off an aura of authority and sexiness, and by far it was quite effective whether she faced the student council, the board or the SEES.  
So she was suddenly surprised when for the first time she wondered what a boy thought about her. Despite knowing Akihito the longest she never pondered on what types of girls he liked, while she could guess it was probably the more homely simple girls, she never really cared to think too deeply about it.  
Maybe it was because everything about Arisato was just a mystery, his persona being just the tip of the ice burg. When he joined SEES he had no hesitations, he did not question anything which made Yukari wonder about his reasons later. He always came off as aloof and calm, just staring into space while listening to whatever was on his headphones.  
Sure she knew a few things about him. His father was an engineer while his mother was a college professor. He had a little sister who lives separately from him. In the past ten years, he'd lived in Tokyo, Inaba, and Okinawa. He was skilled at kendo, as shown when he defeated Kazushi Miyamoto and was shown to be quite a studious student.  
As she turned off the tab and wrapped herself in a towel she's had more questions regarding her kohai than she had answers. She opened the door to the bathroom and noticed that he still hadn't returned from his walk.  
"I must look like some loose woman or something from the way I acted earlier" she later reflected on her behaviour earlier.  
Indeed that room they got was quite tiny; it would probably just fit three people standing up and the bunker bed. As she went over to her bag to get a change of nightclothes she looked out the window and checked her watch.  
"I wonder does Dark Hour effects even reach as far as Tokyo" her watched stated it was only past eleven.  
It was in here where there was a knock on the door.  
Holding the towel around her she stood up and went to the door "Yes?" she called out.  
"Mitsuru-senpai, are you done changing?" it was Minato.  
"Umm . . . give me a moment" she said before quickly just grabbing her silk nightgown. As soon as she wore them she opened the door and let her kohai in "Sorry to keep you waiting"  
Minato stared at her choice of attire for a moment, the nightgown had a black and white floral design, it had a scoop neckline which gave a view of her cleavage "Well I guess it's my turn then" he said entering the room.  
"Umm," she closed the door "Would you like me to step out?"  
Grabbing his things from his backpack "It's your choice, I'm sure the people downstairs wouldn't mind your pyjamas"  
At this, Mitsuru blushed "I . . . I think I'm going to bed" she went to the bunker bed and paused "Where would you like to sleep in?"  
"I'll take any" Minato waved his hand dismissively before heading for the shower.  
When he closed the door Mitsuru realized that after driving a motorcycle for eight or so hours she was indeed quite tired. But for some reason, she didn't want to sleep yet.  
She was about to test the hostel's dryer when she heard her phone ring, after scanning her handbag she took out her HTC HD2 "Hello" she answered.  
"MITSURU-SENPAI!" came out the loud yell from none other than Yukari Takeba "Why didn't you tell me you were going on a road trip? Is Minato treating you well? Did he do anything scandalous? Are you even sleeping under a roof?"  
The redhead couldn't help but blink at the antics of her kohai "Yukari I'm fine, I'm sorry I didn't tell it was sort of unplanned, yes we're doing well so far, no, he didn't do anything like that and yes we're staying at a hostel right now"  
"Is that so" Mitsuru could imagine Yukari leering "So where are you right now?"  
"We're in Tokyo to be specific Ueno" the heiress replied, "So how are things going on there?"  
At this Yukari sighed "Well Akihito is doing fine as a leader, but . . . hey . . . yes, I'm talking to her Stupei! MOVE . . . . Oh sorry anyway, Junpei is starting to make crazy theories on why you and Minato suddenly ran off"  
It was here when she heard the baseball-capped man yell "THAT BOI HAS BALLS! Damn, I knew he was a ladies man but to get Mitsuru-senpai DAMN!"  
Mitsuru was grateful that none of the Iwatodai dorm members could see her blush "Well, l will deal with him when I get back or perhaps Arisato"  
"Yeah . . . oh, Akihito wants to talk to you wait . . ." Yukari then passed the phone to the boxer "Well, how are you guys doing so far?"  
"We're fine, my bike managed to survive the long trip" she then glared "Speaking of which . . . about that purse"  
At this she heard the hearty laugh from her fellow year mate "Oh man, when did you realize they were coins?"  
"While we were in a gas station in Toyokawa" she groaned "Did you know how stupid it looked like to open a literal bag of coins!?"  
"Oh come on lighten up a bit Mitsuru" she could just imagine the wide grin on that damn boy's face "It was just a light-hearted prank"  
She pinched the tip of her nose "You're the older one you should be influencing the juniors, not the other way around"  
It was in here when she heard the bathroom door open, she was glad she was staring at the window. "Anyway, you're in charge while we're gone so make sure that when we get back there everything is stable"  
"Yeah, yeah no need to stress out" Akihito replied "You definitely need this vacation, but promise me one thing. Make sure that when Minato gets back here he's in one piece . . . if you know what I mean"  
"What?!" Mitsuru shook her head "Ok, I'm going to bed now goodbye, tell everyone I said goodnight" and with that, she hung up.  
The girl let out a heavy sigh "Honestly, sometimes I wonder if Iori is rubbing off too much on Akihito"  
"That doesn't sound good" Minato replied.  
Mitsuru closed her eyes and faced him "Would you mind passing me the hairdryer? Talking to him made me realize how tired I am"  
"Here you go" Minato grabbed the item from the bedside table.  
At this Mitsuru opened her eyes and it was here she realized that the boy in front of her was just wearing a pair of blue sweatpants and nothing on top. Sure she had seen him before shirtless when they went to Yakushima but the fact that his hair was still damp from his shower and the lighting from the room not to mention the sound of slow Japanese 80's music from the other room just made her cheeks turn into the same shade as her hair.  
"Is there something wrong senpai?" he asked still holding the dryer.  
Ignoring the blush on her cheeks "Thank you" she took the contraption and plugged it to the nearest socket "I hope I dry my hair before Dark Hour starts"  
Taking the towel off his neck and using it to dry his hair "Do you think Dark Hour is a worldwide phenomenon? Because if it's only here in Japan I'm surprised that the US military or something didn't find any anomalies with our time zone"  
"Hmm" Mitsuru pondered while she turned on the dryer "I . . . actually, don't know, I never been outside Japan since the incident ten years ago so I'm not sure if Dark Hour does have effects outside of Japan"  
"But then again if Dark Hour does indeed affect the entire globe does that mean in every hour there is a Dark Hour? That's just stating if it follows that after 12:00 mark but if not maybe Dark Hour is based on the Japanese time zone?"  
"I suggest you don't dwell too much on the thought Arisato" Mitsuru waved her thick red locks "Just imagining a Dark Hour Japan is a depressing sight"  
After drying his hair with a towel he placed it around his neck "Apologies senpai, just the random thoughts of an insomniac"

* * *

  
"Arisato?"  
There was no reply.  
She tried again "Arisato?"  
Still none.  
She then shifted from her bed and looked down at the lower bunker "Minato?"  
"I heard you the first time senpai" came his groan.  
"Then why didn't you respond?" Even in the soft lighting of the moon, she could still see that he was lying in bed with no shirt, no blankets and his headphones on his ears.  
"Wanted to see how many times you would call me until you get annoyed" he shrugged.  
She surveyed him "Are you not cold?" she asked.  
Face as stoic as ever "Not really, I always sleep like this"  
She took a glance at the window "Do you always have trouble sleeping or did this start when you came to the dorm?"  
"To be honest" he paused for a moment "I started having trouble sleeping when I was seven or so"  
She looked down at him "Is that why you always have headphones in your ears?"  
"I guess it's better than waking up the entire house by blasting loud music"  
"Polite as ever I see" Mitsuru beamed.  
"You seem to be having trouble sleeping as well" Minato squinted as another bright light passed by.  
Her eyebrows rose "Well I assume it was common to have trouble sleeping in a new bed"  
He smirked "Trouble sleeping in a new bed? Or trouble sleeping in a poorly made one?"  
"Nothing of that sorts," she said giving him a dirty look.  
"Well you're the one who wanted to get the whole ‘on budget' road trip experience" he stretched his arms and looked to the side.  
She wasn't going to let him win that easily "I believe it would be something that I have to get used to"  
"Let's hope we don't end up camping anytime soon" he yawned "I don't think I brought enough clothes for that"  
"Hmm . . . if we do go on camping we'll be stuck together in one tent" Mitsuru spoke out her thoughts. "It would be quite uncomfortable if we get attacked by a shadow in our sleep and we have to defend ourselves"  
He scrunched up his face "And you tell me to not think about Dark Hour too much"  
"It's just a hypothetical Arisato" her mouth set in a hard line "But to answer your question I don't think the Dark Hour would have a worldwide effect, the explosion would not be strong enough to spread it at such a large scale"  
The blue-haired boy gave a half-smile "And so far there aren't any shadows here in Tokyo"  
There was a companionable silence that followed between the two. The only sounds to be heard were the sounds of car horns, street sweepers and angry next door neighbours.  
Again Mitsuru spoke "You know I was hesitant to go along with this trip"  
Minato wasn't surprised "It's understandable"  
"I mean . . ." her voice faltered "It's only just the two of us"  
Minato scowled, she did have a point.  
"During that moment" she continued "I was already set on doing what's best for the company, I decided that it was only right that I follow the path that had been destined to me by the Group"  
He let her go on.  
"But talking to you . . ." her expression closed up "It made me think back on my decision, it made me doubt on whether or not it was right or wrong"  
Minato looked up at the girl, from the bright lights of the hotel across the street he could see her face, she seemed to be struggling or confused . . . or both.  
"I know this may sound selfish," she said "But . . . it's your fault that I'm feeling this way"  
The young man's eyes widened at her statement. He was about to say something but he got cut off.  
"Well, I guess we should be sleeping now" she was no longer visible to him "Goodnight Arisato"  
He let out a sigh "Goodnight senpai"

* * *

  
After waking up surprisingly early the next day the two decided to leave Tokyo and head for the road. After having a charming breakfast, with no mention of the conversation from last night, the two headed off.  
After driving for how many or so hours the pair had encountered a slight problem. While it was true that Mitsuru's bike was special enough that it could run on Dark Hour but that doesn't mean that it was built for long travel. And while the heiress valued the bike she wasn't exactly keen on maintenance, in fact, this was the first time in months that she used the bike.  
So when the bike suddenly stopped working while they were in the middle of the highway in Funayawa, the heiress was not surprised.  
"I guess this was a long time coming" Mitsuru's face contorted as she stared at the engine of her bike.  
They had stopped over by a nearby ramen shop to look over the bike but it seemed that the girl had no idea how to fix it.  
It was in here that Minato came out of the said ramen shop "I asked the owner inside and she said that there's an auto-shop near-by"  
"I'm sorry for not checking my bike beforehand" Mitsuru apologized holding her other arm.  
"The fact that it survived until here is a miracle in itself, so it's not your fault" he tried to be positive knowing that the girl was going to keep beating herself for it.  
Mitsuru remove a strand of hair from the front of her face "I guess well then, where is this shop?"  
"It's a five-minute walk from here" he pointed at a tiny looking house surrounded by a vast field "Let's just hope he won't mess with your bike's anti-Dark Hour abilities"  
"There's that . . . hmm" Mitsuru took another look at the bike "To think that for a girl who likes riding motorcycles she should know a thing or two about fixing them"  
"Fuuka might know what to do," Minato said shoving his hands into his pockets.  
The redhead looked up at him "Yamagishi?" she said surprised.  
"Yep" he nodded "The girl has a thing for mechanics and basic engineering, a surprising hobby for a quiet girl like her"  
The young lady chuckled "Well, don't we all have surprising hobbies?" she countered.  
Minato snorted "Touché" he turned his heel "Well we better go, it's gonna get dark soon"  
Mitsuru stood up and dusted her pants and followed her kohai as they headed for the repair shop "Maybe we should eat dinner in that ramen shop while they repair my bike"  
The boy just nodded in reply.  
They then proceeded to walk to the auto shop in silence. Things always seemed to end up that way, Mitsuru noticed. Ever since they had breakfast the only time they actually had a conversation was when the bike broke down, other than that the two usually kept to themselves.  
Which was kinda sad, she had hoped she would get a better understanding of the boy during this trip. It was almost two days into the trip and she still knew nothing about him.  
Minato noticed her senpai in deep thought as she drew her brows together "Something in your mind?"  
She looked at him opened her mouth to say something but stopped and pointed, Minato followed the direction of her finger; they had already reached the shop.

* * *

  
Ramen was slowly becoming her favourite dish, Mitsuru thought as she noisily sipped the soap. She normally wouldn't do something as unladylike as gobble noddle like a boar but after knowing that it was a way to compliment the chef she made sure to eat her noodles with must gusto.  
After finishing her bowl making sure to have each drop of soup and placed the bowl on the table and let out a satisfied sigh "Miam!"  
A corner of Minato's mouth lifted seeing how much she enjoyed her meal, he couldn't help it she looked really cute when she gets enthusiastic about food.  
"Man, I didn't know such a sophisticated looking lady would eat soup like that" the owner, a large man with a Kansai accent, joked.  
At this Mitsuru blushed and quickly wiped her mouth with the napkin provided "I apologize if I was too loud"  
At this the man laughed "No need to apologize, it just means you enjoyed your meal"  
The redhead nodded "Yes, your ramen was très bon" she smiled.  
The owner's chuckle got louder "Not only is this young lady quite a looker she's got a good taste in food" he looked over at Minato who was still sipping his soup "You're quite a lucky man"  
"Oh no!" Mitsuru waved her hands "We're just . . . he's my kohai you see, we don't have such a relationship"  
The owner didn't seem convinced "So he's younger than you? Age ain't a problem young lady; he looks like a decent enough young man"  
"We're not . . ." Mitsuru sighed, the fact that her cheeks were blushing red didn't seem to help her case.  
Minato slurped up the last noodle before turning to the owner "Sorry she gets embarrassed easily"  
"A shy one huh? My boy you really did hit the jackpot" the owner then waved the people entering the shop "Well then I'll be leaving you two alone then, got other customers to serve"  
As soon as the owner left Mitsuru gave Minato a look "Why did you say that!?"  
The boy ignored her stares and just lifted his bowl to drink his soup.  
Mitsuru studied the boy in front of her; she really really did not understand this boy.  
After finishing his soup he wiped his mouth with a napkin "I'm just taking responsibility"  
"Res . . . RESPONSIBILITY!?" she tried to fight off a blush "What!?"  
Minato smirked "Didn't you say it yourself last night?" he had a mischievous look on his face "I'm the reason you're having doubts about your future"  
"Don't you?" she countered "Throughout the past week I've told you my struggles, I think it's only fair that I hear your side"  
"Is that so?" his mouth curved into a smile "To be honest, I never really thought about it"  
"Do you really have no goal in life?" Mitsuru leaned against the table "You have all this potential yet you seem to have no idea where to put it in"  
He closed his eyes "I guess you're right"  
"I mean . . . when we finally defeat all the shadows" the corners of her eyes crinkled "When we finally put a stop to Dark Hour and put an end to everything, what then?"  
"I guess just get on with life" Minato opened his eyes "When all of this is over I'll just get on with school work, hang out with friends and live normally I guess"  
She frowned "That's it?... It sounds . . ."  
"Boring" Minato leaned against his seat "Well this may sound wrong, especially to you, but ever since I returned to Tatsumi Port everything just went . . . exciting"  
Mitsuru shook her head "This may sound wrong, but we both have the same sentiments"  
"Once a fighter always a fighter" as he said that Mitsuru couldn't help but catch a glimpse of his eyes, or rather an eye. She couldn't but wonder how he managed to get matching blue hair and eyes; she also wondered why he styled his hair like that. Was it to hide fear? Insecurity? What?  
Minato noticed his senpai's stare "Penny for your thoughts?"  
"Did your parents dye your hair as a baby?" she randomly asked.  
He was taken aback by her question "What?"  
She shook her head "Never mind, just . . . forget about that"  
He looked at the window, it gonna dark really dark soon and they need to look for a hotel "You know my sister asked my dad the same thing"  
Mitsuru raised a brow "Pardon?"  
"Well my dad had normal brown hair and my mom had blue hair but my sister assumed that she just dyed her hair like that when she was a teenager" he stared at the cars that passed by the highway but his thoughts were somewhere else "So when my sister discovered hair dye she ran over to our mom and demanded to change her hair colour back to brown"  
"What did your mother say?" she asked getting amused by the story.  
"You see mom was a little . . . eccentric. When my Naoto asked to change her hair colour my mom just replied with a crazy laugh, not just any laugh mind you, Wicked Witch of the West kind of laugh. After that, she told Naoto that it was too late to dye her hair because her hair was already too blue that any attempts to change her hair colour would result in hair loss and bald spots"  
The colour drained from Mitsuru's face as she imagined a little girl getting told like that by her own mother no less ". . . That . . . is quite cruel"  
The boy chuckled at the thought "To any other kid that would be traumatizing but to my sister it was a challenge. She then took my dad's wallet and tried to buy hair dye from a nearby convenience store, she even dragged me along as a test dummy"  
"I assume the lady at the store didn't sell her the hair product" Mitsuru replied.  
Minato shook his head "Nope, then Naoto told the cashier what mom told her and I swear if Dad didn't catch us in time we would have been sent to child services . . ." his jaw then tightened "Then again, we got sent there anyway"  
Mitsuru tried to think of something positive to say but at that moment she ran out. It was really unfair, he was finally opening up to her and she couldn't even say anything.  
Minato turned away from the window and saw the sad expression on his senpai's face "Huh, did I say something wrong?"  
"Oh no . . ." she waved her hands "It's just that . . . the Group made you get separated from your sister"  
"I assume they had their reasons" he looked at her "She doesn't seem to have the potential, it would be dangerous if she had witnessed my ‘awakening', and it'd just bring her memories of the accident"  
All of a sudden the redhead stood up starling him and a few customers to how sudden it was.  
"So I guess we're . . ." Minato got caught off when she bowed at him.  
"I Mitsuru Kirijo, in behalf of the Kirijo Group, apologize for everything you've gone through. If it was not for my grandfather's experiments you would have lived a normal and well-adjusted life with your parents and sister" she bowed even lower "And the fact that you're even risking your life to correct these mistakes . . . I'm sorry"  
Minato just stared at her not sure what to say. Some other customers were looking at them and even the owner was starting to worry about what was going on.  
In order to not bring anymore shame to her Minato stood up, slammed their payment on the table grabbed Mitsuru's hand (ignoring her startled look) and dragged her out of the restaurant.

* * *

  
Minato made sure they were a few feet away from the restaurant before he stopped walking and turned to her. Her head was still down.  
"Why did you do that?" he asked her.  
"I . . . thought it was the right thing to do" she said looking at the concrete road on her feet.  
Minato sighed "Look at me"  
She raised her head but did not face him "I think we should get . . ."  
"Look at me," he said a little more aggressively this time.  
She turned to him this time "I'm looking"  
"This has to stop" gave her a serious look "You can't make the mistakes of your ancestor's yours"  
Her forehead creased "I am a Kirijo . . ."  
"For one second" he cut her off "Stop thinking about the company . . ."  
She ground her jaw "How can I . . ."  
He put a finger on her lips "Ok we're going to get your bike from the shop, on our way there I want you to take a moment and stop thinking about the company, your grandfather, the board, or your father"  
"But . . ."  
"Right now. Think about what you want" he gave her an intense look "Right now don't be Mitsuru Kirijo heir to the Kirijo Group, President of the Student Body and head of SEES. Don't be that girl."  
She had never seen him talk like that; in fact, she had never seen him like this too. Even when he was giving orders he never had the extreme look in his eyes as he had now.  
"So . . . who should . . . I be then?" she asked after a while.  
"That's for you to know" those were the last words he said before they left.

* * *

  
Hours had passed and they had found a hotel, Minato immediately went to bed without saying a word to her. She, on the other hand, did not feel like sleeping and decided to roam around the town until she collapsed out of exhaustion.  
She did not think that things would escalate this way.  
His words stuck in her head as she walked through the cold night. "No be Mitsuru Kirijo . . ." a bittersweet smile fell on her face "Is there a life outside being such?"  
She still bore the guilt of her family name, a guilt that she couldn't help but shake off. Kouetsu Kirijo. The man who ruined not only the Kirijo name but tarnished the lives of everyone he touched, his son included.  
Ever since the incident, Mitsuru had never seen her father truly happy. It was as though he was walking with an albatross around his neck. For years they have tried to fix things, for years they tried to correct everything that went wrong.  
Only for everything to blow up into their faces.  
Now the albatross was on her neck and she was not sure if she should carry it. Growing up the only way of living she knew was the Kirijo name, she had been furnished from birth to follow in with tradition. She knew that her life was not hers but dedicated to the Group, it was an honour to uphold. Now it was a burden.  
And she did not want to live like that anymore.  
Back then she did not know any better. Back then she had believed everything being told to her. Back then she did not have friends to care for, she did not have dreams she wished to fulfil.  
Back then she had not fallen in love.  
Mitsuru looked up and realized that she was now under a cherry blossom tree. "How far did I go?" she looked around the quiet surroundings.  
She closed her eyes taking in the silence and the cool breeze. She had answers to a few of her questions, but there were some in which she still wasn't sure.  
And she knew just the person to ask. Immediately she dashed out from the cherry blossom tree, there was one thing left to do.

* * *

  
He probably overreacted.  
He didn't exactly yell at her but that was the most agitated he had been to a woman in years.  
She was still in mourning, of course, she was still sensitive. Not only did she lose her father but she lost a good friend of hers a few months earlier. He should have been more considerate of that.  
The blue-haired boy sighed as he looked up the ceiling. If Naoto ever found out what he did to Mitsuru she would probably shoot him in the head, not with an evoker but with an actual gun.  
So when the door of their hotel room opened he was more relieved than surprised.  
He heard the click of her heels draw near to him "I know you're still awake" she said.  
He looked up at her she was panting, probably ran from somewhere. "I am" he replied.  
She kneeled on her knees so that she was on the same level of his futon "I think I now have a destination in mind"  
That sparked his curiosity "Where?"  
She pursed her lips "We're going to visit my mother"

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With her father's passing, Kirijo Group in a mess, and the Dark Hour Mitsuru Kirijo had a lot on her plate. So she was more than surprised when Minato suggested she drop everything . . . even just for a weekend.

“I assumed your mother was dead”  
It was a very cold Sunday morning when the two arrived at the facility. The Seven Sisters Refuge House was located atop a mountain in the outskirts of Iwaizumi. The facility looked like a white castle from afar but as they got closer it resembled more of a prison.  
Minato was glad he brought his coat with him as it was practically snowing here in the mountains. For once Mitsuru’s thick leather biker gear seemed practical.   
The heiress noticed her kohai stare at the intimidating front gate “I remember when I first got here” she spoke “I thought of the place as an evil castle holding my mother hostage”  
That was when the large gate opened and a young looking nun came out “I presume you must be Kirijo-san” she asked in a perky voice.  
Mitsuru did a bow “I apologize for arranging the visit at such a short notice”  
“There is no problem with that Kirijo-san” the sister’s eyes then turned over to Minato “Will he be accompanying you?”  
“I hope there is no problem with that” the red-head clarified.  
The nun just gave a gentle smile “None at all, unless he has a weapon with him?”  
The younger boy raised his palms “I’m a high schooler, what would I do with a gun?”  
Mitsuru couldn’t help but smile at his comment.  
“Very well” the sister opened the gate “Follow me”  
As soon as they passed by the gate they were created by a sight of stoned steps, lot of them.  
“Oh look, more climbing” he didn’t really mind the extra exercise but it must have been a chore to whoever was the poor sister to answer the door.  
Mitsuru was ahead of him and behind the sister “Akihiko would love to train here” she chuckled at the thought “I could imagine him running around here with Koromaru”   
Minato looked at the woman walking in front of him. The leather catsuit definitely showed off her curves, she definitely had more going for her than the average girl her age. Her mercury-red hair flowed with the cold breeze making her look like some Viking warrior going into war, especially when paired with her get-up.   
And for some reason or another, he found that image quite attracting.  
“Oh sister” Minato’s thoughts when Mitsuru spoke to the nun as they reached the top of the steps “I failed to catch your name”  
“I’m sorry how rude of me” the sister apologized “You may call me Sister Diana”   
When they finally reached the end of the stone steps they were greeted by a large courtyard. On the left side, there was a vast garden where a few nuns were tending to, on the ride side there was a tennis court with no one playing.  
“Please wait here while I call for Mother Superior” Sister Diana bowed before entering the main building.  
Minato eyed the tennis court “Is that one for the patients or the nuns?”   
“Hmm, that used to be a greenhouse when I came here” Mitsuru inclined her head to her kohai “To be honest I’m slightly nervous”  
“Not to be rude senpai” Minato faced the girl “But what happened to your mother?”  
At this, the redhead forced a smile “It’s quite a long story”  
“I’m willing to listen” he shoved his hands on his pockets.  
She held a finger up to her lips “You see my mother was the opposite of my father, while he was strong-willed and independent my mother was fragile and soft-spoken, She was always sick when she was little going in and out of hospitals on the year she was born. My grandparents, her parents, were always busy and due to her condition, she hardly went outside. She was always at home with a few of the servants but generally, she was always alone”  
“She lived a sheltered life I see” he gave a half shrug “Much like you”  
“Indeed” a sad smile escaped her lips “You see my mother suffered from Osteogenesis Imperfecta, so due to her weak bones, she was chained to her wheelchair. As a result of her illness and her being locked off all the time she never really got used to meeting a lot of people. When she was announced to be wed off to my father she got so nervous that she had a panic attack during their first meeting”  
His eyes narrowed “So your mother has a severe case of social anxiety”  
Mitsuru hugged herself “My father was worried if the engagement was too much for her and asked my grandfather to delay the wedding so that she would at least get used to him, but the following year they had gotten married and mother had another attack during the ceremony, she was crying so much she couldn’t even finish her wedding vows. The minister thought she was crying tears of joy but after that, she ran to the bathroom and locked herself for the entire night, so that left with my father handling the reception” she squeezed her eyes shut “Didn’t even cut the wedding cake”  
“Good to see you again Mitsuru-san” the two teens turned to see a much older nun come towards them. She was quite short, Minato noted, unlike Sister Diana who was young and cheerful this one was aged and grumpy.  
The heiress greeted the sister “Thank you for accommodating us, Sister Frieda”  
The Abbess nodded and her eyes glowered to Minato “Who is this young man?” it was a simple question but from the way she said it, it felt like she was accusing him of some heinous crime.  
“This is my kohai Sister” Mitsuru gestured to the blue-haired boy “He’s only accompanying me”  
He then bowed his head trying to be polite “I hope I’m not a bother”  
“Hmm, not at all” Sister Frieda turned around “Though you do give off an odd feeling”  
At this, the redhead jumped “What do you mean sister?”  
“It is as though he’s had Death inside him” the nun casually said.  
The heiress gaped in shock while Minato swayed on his feet.  
“Alright come along now” the elderly nun gestured to them “She’s in her room right now”  
The two looked at each other before following the Mother Superior inside the building; despite looking like an old prison from the outside the interior was quite modern with its glass walls and brightly coloured walls. They were then lead to a pair of double doors on the left which was actually a café, which had an industrial feel with its metal-legged tables and spun-metal lighting. The room had brick walls painted in coral pink, and most of the furniture were either in the same colour or grey, there were dozens of cacti spread throughout the space as well.  
“So this is where all the church money goes to?” the wildcard user whispered to his senpai.  
The girl pressed her finger to her lips “If Sister Frieda hears you she’ll bring out her ruler”  
The young teen raised a brow at this “Nun really do that?”  
Their conversation was cut by the said nun “My condolences on your father’s passing”  
“I appreciate it, Sister,” Mitsuru said almost too quickly.  
“Also” the elder woman’s narrowed at Minato “You should leave your friend here, I’m sure you’re aware of the rules here”  
Mitsuru turned to Minato who just shrugged “Oh of course”  
“Not unless” Sister Frieda lifted her chin “He happens to be your fiancé or some other relative”  
At this the redhead’s face turned to the colour of her hair “Oh no, he’s . . . we’re not related”  
“I’m ok with waiting here” the blue-haired boy gave a dismissive wave of his hand “You can go ahead”  
The nun then gave a half smile which still looked uneasy for Minato “Well then shall we go?”  
Mitsuru turned from the mother superior to her junior, for a moment she looked unsure “Yes, we shall” she said clutching her chest as she followed the nun to another set of double doors.  
At that Minato let out a breath he didn’t know he had been holding. For a woman who was said to be a representative of the Divine One, she did not appear as comforting as the rest of her peers, in fact, the wildcard persona user felt tense around her for some reason. He was sure Mitsuru would have noticed it, but even if she didn’t the nun’s obvious distaste for him was quite obvious.  
He eyed the chalkboard menu that listed the drinks they served, he half expected to be puns of saints but fortunately, they weren’t.   
“Hmm, the worst that could happen is my tongue burning because they used Holy Water in the coffee”

* * *

  
Hanae Kirijo was not very fond of being around people, in fact as much as possible she would like to avoid it at all costs, though over the past few years she had learned to interact with others without immediately crying or hyperventilating. That did not mean that she stop feeling her heart racing, her palms sweating and the constant thought of being judged.   
This was why she always felt most herself in the comfort of her own room. The room in itself is quite small when compared to her old room in the Kirijo estate it was only the size of her closet (though if an everyman where to measure it, it would be the average size of a 3-star hotel room). The walls were painted white, her bedside tables were white, her bed sheets were white, her curtains were white and her carpet was white. There were non-white things in the room as well: her lampshades were black, her wooden sink was oak and her antique mirror above the sink was baby blue.  
As of now, Hanae was out on her balcony wearing an orange strapless dress with white floral designs and sandals, seated in her wheelchair reading Thackeray’s The Luck of Barry Lyndon. She didn’t know what was odder her choice of clothing (it was the middle of winter) or her choice of literature (she was more fond of horror novels), but at that moment she did not care.  
Her peace and solitary were interrupted by a gentle knock on the door.  
“Mother” came the very familiar sound “Can I come in”  
The older woman closed her book and leaned back in her chair “Yes, you may come in”   
At that she heard the sound of the door opening followed by footsteps; her daughter must be wearing heels again Hanae assumed. The door to her balcony was already open so she assumed Mitsuru must already be standing right behind her.  
There was a moment of silence that passed between the mother and daughter, the two just soaking up in the cold winds of Iwaizumi and each other’s company.  
Finally, Hanae spoke “I should have worn a jacket” the older woman commented.  
Mitsuru swayed on her feet “It is quite . . . cold in here”  
“It’s freezing in the winter and we’re on top of a mountain” Hanae finally turned her head towards her daughter “Of course it is cold here”  
“Would you like to come inside?” the heiress held her hand on the hand grips of the wheelchair.   
Narumi’s eyes twinkled as she looked at her beautiful girl “That would be lovely of course”  
So far the only person Hanae had ever felt at total ease with was her own daughter. She was a part of her after all; she had carried this beautiful girl for those long eight months. While the pregnancy was one of the most traumatizing things that had happened to her as soon as she saw baby Mitsuru’s crying face as she entered the world, she finally understood what love at first sight was.  
The two were pretty much carbon copies of each other, the same face, the same eyes, even the way they talk was identical. The only difference between them is that while Mitsuru had long curled up hair Hanae preferred a sleek crop hairstyle.   
“So,” Hanae said as Mitsuru closed the sliding doors and wheeled her wheelchair into the middle of the room “What brings you here?”  
“I . . . just wanted to see you” the younger girl sat on the edge of her mother’s bed “When I heard you weren’t going back to Luxembourg I decided to use my free time to see you”  
Hanae took a close look at her daughter; she was seated at a proper lady: knees together, hands on lap and head looking down. “While I don’t mind your sudden visit, I believe you have something else on your mind”  
Mitsuru balled her hands into a fist “I . . . admittedly have a lot on my mind lately”  
“I can see that” Hanae observed “Despite your father’s precautions the Group seems to find ways to put their burdens on you”  
“I guess it can’t be helped” the heiress’ forehead puckered “Things have just happened so fast, I don’t know if I can handle them all”  
Hanae controlled her chair to come closer to her daughter “I’m sorry I can’t protect you” she stroked the young woman’s hair “There are days in which I wish I were strong enough to take the burdens you and your father had suffered”  
Mitsuru lifted her chin “When you married Father . . . how did you” she paused for a moment “. . . Fall in love?”  
At this, a small smile formed on the older woman’s lips “It’s hard to explain really. You know it was very difficult for me to form relationships let alone a marriage . . . but eventually, I learned to love your father” her thoughts then went away for a while “He was a very kind man indeed, he was always patient with me. Despite the fact that I wasn’t an easy person he was stubborn enough to prove that he would make me a happy woman, and he did”  
“Father is just a man you can’t help but love” Mitsuru held her chest “I don’t know if I could feel the same way for my fiancé . . .”  
Hanae’s smile faltered “So they actually used you as a bargaining chip”  
Mitsuru shook her head “I guess I should have expected it to happen, but when it did, I realized I wasn’t ready as I thought I was”  
“Thought you were?” Hanae inquired.  
“I already had this mental vision of what would happen to my future” Mitsuru faced the floral painting above her mother’s bed “I knew that with father dead or alive I would eventually get married off, I thought I was going to have a love story like you and father. But even though I wouldn’t I knew that love was simply a price to pay for the family”   
Hanae lowered her hand to her daughter’s cheek “But it seems you have doubts about that as well”  
A bittersweet smile formed on Mitsuru’s face “I didn’t think I accounted for me . . . catching feelings”  
“Fallen in love?” Hanae’s eyes twinkled “I wonder what Kikuno would say about that”  
“No no, nothing of that sort,” Mitsuru said almost immediately “Umm . . . it’s . . . where is Kikuno anyway?” she said trying to divert the topic.  
“She told me that she had an errand to attend to” Hanae’s eyes flickered with mischief.  
“I see” Mitsuru’s mouth twisted “I’m still unsure with what to do mother, I have met with the man they arranged for me while he is indeed an intelligent and more experienced person . . . I just don’t feel alright with him”  
Hanae pulled out her hand from Mitsuru’s face “How do you feel when you’re with this other person then”  
Mitsuru looked confused “Other person”  
“The person whom you’ve fallen in love with”  
At this a blush formed on the SEES leader’s cheeks “I’m not in love with him”  
Hanae gave her a look.  
“I . . . uh . . . well . . . he’s very easy to talk to. I feel like I can confide in him, he makes me feel at ease and he gives me confidence and strength when I need to” she later admitted.  
“This person sounds like a very nice young man” Hanae couldn’t help but smile “And the fact that he makes you flustered must mean he must be good looking as well”  
“Good-looking?” Mitsuru’s face almost matched her hair “Umm . . . well from what I heard he’s quite popular . . . but . . .” she closed her eyes trying to calm down only for her to remember the image of him being fresh from the shower, this made not only her face turn into a deep shade of red but even her ears changed colour.  
And this made her mother very very amused “My, it looks like my Mitsuru has indeed fallen in love” she placed a hand on her face “I wonder how your father would react if he saw you like this”  
At this Mitsuru’s eyes opened “He would probably hunt him down” her face then went serious “And its worst that he actually knows him . . . oh dear . . .”  
“Your father knows him?” Hanae leaned against her chair “Does that mean this person . . .”  
“Is a persona user” Mitsuru loosened her palms “He’s quite a strong one as well, and he’s also a good leader which is why I let him handle field operations”  
“Hmm . . .” Hanae thought “Then that means he could protect you”  
Mitsuru looked up “In a sense . . . but . . .”  
“Listen to me” the older woman grabbed her daughter’s hands “Everything your father did, whether it may be sinful or not, was all for you. He made all of those sacrifices in order for you to be happy”  
The younger girl just stared at her “Mother . . .”  
Water was starting to form on Hanae’s eyes “You are the greatest gift me and your father have ever received, which is why no matter what you decided to do in life we will support your decision in any way. We just want you to live a life in which you have chosen on your own, may it be with the Group or without the Group”  
Mitsuru didn’t know what to say so instead of using words she stood up from her spot and gave the older woman an overdue loving embrace. 

* * *

  
The coffee they served wasn’t half bad Minato though. While it did have a particularly strong smell for something of light colour it tasted quite sweet and not bitter at all, though after sipping two cups of it he was starting to get a little woozy for some reason.  
Which was why he did not notice the formally dressed young woman with short blue hair suddenly came up to him “You are Madam Mitsuru’s companion, are you not?”  
Taking another sip of his drink “Yes, yes I am”  
“May I take a seat then?” the young woman pulled out the chair then sat on it when Minato nodded. “If I am correct you work with the young Madam?”  
“Yes, yes I do” why was he repeating ‘yes’ a lot? “So yeah”  
The young woman kept a passive face, and for some reason, the girl reminded Minato of that one chick from the Matrix was Serenity or Fidelity? “You seem to be in close relations with her,” she said.  
“I guess . . .” he took another sip only to realize he had run out “We do work together and live in the same dorm and we do get along in other aspects”  
“Do you always go on outings with the young madam?”  
This girl really asks too many questions, then again why the hell does he keep answering them “We do go out for lunch and dinner, and the occasional movie, and we did spend Christmas together”  
At this, the woman’s brow rose “You spent Christmas with her?”  
“I did” he nodded “Why are you asking these questions?”  
“Why are you answering these questions” she countered.  
“Because it seemed rude not to” he then had an afterthought “Heck I could be lying right now”  
At this, the woman paused but then replied: “You’re how old again?”  
“Oh something about me this time”  
“This question may be for your own good”   
“I dunno, a lot of things seem to be for my own good” he waved a dismissive hand “Well the only good I’ve received so far is lack of sleep, constant muscle pain and the ever occasional stab wound”  
“Strange” the woman rubbed the bottom of her chin, “The madam said you weren’t a talkative sort of person”  
At this, the blue-haired boy groaned “This stereotype has to stop, look I talk I’m not mute, I just think it’s a waste of time to explain a point to people who won’t listen”  
The woman nodded in agreement “That is true”   
“See” Minato then stood up “Excuse me I’m gonna order another drink”  
“Another drink of what?” the woman said looking up at him.  
He finger gunned the menu (Junpei must rubbing off him) “Café Mendoza, it won’t take long”  
At this, the woman stood up “I believe that’s enough of that Arisato-san”  
Minato blinked “And why is that?”  
“Because that coffee has Tia Maria mixed in” for once there was an actual show of emotion on her face, one of concern “I suggest you sit down sir”  
The boy just stared at her “Are you sure you’re not messing with me?”  
“Sir, I am in no way trying to mess with you” her face then went back to neutral “But I believe the young madam would not be pleased when she sees you in a drunken state”  
“Huh” never did Minato think of himself as a tipsy guy, then again he never drunk alcohol, his mother had made sure of that “So what do you suggest I do”  
“Sit down sir”  
“I don’t feel like sitting down”  
“Please do not be difficult”  
“You sound like this friend of mine, by the way, she’s a robot”  
“You really must sit down”  
“I’m not causing any ruckus”  
“You might as well be causing one” the woman sighed, “I think I’m starting to crave for a drink” she muttered to herself.  
“Oh good, I’ll get one for the both of us” Minato then headed for the counter.  
The woman chased after him “Sir please”  
“You know I’m starting to have a totally different perspective about nuns,” Minato said eying the board “At first I thought there were these creepy women who whipped good Christian boys and girls with a ruler in order to go to the path of the Lord”  
“And what do you think of them now”  
“Still creepy old women, an exception for the young smiley one a while back maybe a few years in a place like this her soul would be sucked eventually, but instead of whipping us with the holy ruler of purity we are quenched by the waters of the truth. The bitter and regretful taste of the truth”  
The woman seemed to want to say something but thought better of it when she decided to say something else instead “You really aren’t what I expected you to be”  
Minato just shrugged “Don’t worry, by the time you meet me around this time tomorrow I’ll just be on the floor slowing dying”  
“I don’t think the young lady would like to deal with that”  
“I rather she not” he shoved his hands in his pockets “Might as well get another room for myself then, me and her in the same room is not a good idea at this point”  
At this, the woman’s eyes widened “You’ve been sleeping in the same room as the young madam!”  
“Yeah should have shut up”   
“Oh please” the woman was giving the most passive-aggressive leer he has ever witnessed “Tell me more”  
“I rather not” he backed away.  
“There was a reason as to why I wanted to speak to you without the young madam” the woman seemed serious “I wanted to see myself on what sort of man-made her so conflicted about her emotions”  
This was definitely news for Minato, news in which he could best comprehend with an intelligent “Ha?”  
“The young madam is going through rough times now, so it pains me to see her being so pressured and conflicted on what to do with her life” the woman pulled away “Then again, I have never seen this carefree in a long while either”  
“Carefree?” damn alcohol was making him dumb.  
“When I observed you coming up here, she seemed relaxed and comfortable in your presence” she placed a finger under her chin “You have some sort of effect on her”  
The boy just blinked “I . . . don’t think I know why I do though” then again as he thought of it he probably saw sides to Mitsuru that she only brought out whenever she was with him.  
“Hmm, you’re sober enough to give a straight answer and drunk enough, to tell the truth,” the suited woman noted “I want you to answer me this one last question, after that, I won’t bother you”  
A part of his mouth twisted “Even if I give an answer you wouldn’t like?”  
The woman kept her passive face “We don't know if I like it if you won’t tell me”  
“Fine” Minato sighed “Fire away I guess”  
“What do feel about Mitsuru-sama?”  
Minato was taken aback by the question; he should have expected it seeing as this strange woman’s (probably maid) number one priority seems to involve Mitsuru. But ask him how he felt about her? Well, it was true that it might seem strange for her to bring a boy to the secret mental facility her mother was in, that must mean something in some books.  
And sure he would be to first to admit that he found the older girl very attractive, but it was an undeniable fact, she would catch the eye of even a blind man. Yes, he admired her leadership very much; in fact, the moment they met she had an air of authority most drill sergeants could only dream of. But underneath that tough exterior and ice queen persona that she had put up was a caring friend who regarded her comrades, not as pawns but actual people.  
And yes he did enjoy her company, in fact, he looked forward to their ‘restaurant dates’ whenever he had a rough day. He found her naivety towards working-class culture quite adorable and during that week where left SEES after her father’s death he never felt so worried.  
So what does that all mean?  
The maid noticed his deep thought “I’m sorry if the question is sudden, but I would like to hear an answer”  
“I . . . I’m not sure” Minato replied “I value her as a person and admire her but . . . I don’t think she would want to pursue anything else with me”   
“So you do harbour feelings for the young mistress”   
“I . . .” before he could say anything the woman whom they were just talking about appeared.  
“Kikuno!” the redhead went over to her old-friend “I was . . .” she realized who the maid was talking to “Umm . . . what are you doing with Arisato?”  
The blue-haired maid gave her mistress a smile “I was simply having conversation with him madam”  
Mitsuru did not seem convinced “Did she give you a drink by any chance? She loves to put sleeping pills in drinks”  
“She did not of that” Minato then later admitted “Though . . . I may have had a few drinks”  
The heiress cocked her head “Of what”  
“For some reason, the nuns serve alcohol here” at that moment he hiccupped “They probably have a saint who loves drinking”

* * *

  
The two teens later left the facility after saying their goodbyes to Kikuno (who was still giving Minato weird looks) and some of the nuns. As they walked down the steps Mitsuru looked up to see that her mother was watching them go.  
“My mother is waving at us,” the redhead said waving back.  
Minato faced his senior “Probably at you”  
“She was actually curious as to what you looked like” Mitsuru admitted.  
“Is that so” he then turned to look at the older red-headed woman who was on the balcony “She really does look like you?” he said giving a small wave.  
The older girl grinned “Who can you tell? She’s far away now”  
“I doubt your beauty came from your dad” he cocked his head “No offence”  
“Umm, none took,” she said lowering her hand.  
“Hey do you wanna go someplace before we eat?” the blue-haired boy asked when they reached their bike at the bottom of the mountain.  
She was busy putting on her helmet “And where might that be”  
“I’ll tell you as we drive”  
And that was how they ended up in Ryusendo Cave.  
“This . . . is beautiful” Mitsuru couldn’t help but just stare in awe at the stalactites that formed around the limestone cave.  
Minato looked down at the water below “Wow you could actually see the bottom of the cave”  
“You’re right the water is quite clear” the redhead then closed her eyes “It’s also quiet in here, the sound of the springs is quite calming”  
The teen turned to the upcoming tourists behind them “Not for long, you’ll start hearing the concert of camera shutters and screaming children”  
“We better get ahead then” in her Mitsuru grabbed the boy’s hand and pulled him to follow her. “Come on let’s go enjoy the rest of the cave”  
Eyes blinking “umm . . . sure” he was thankful for the dim lights in the cave as he wasn’t sure he had a cool explanation for his blush.  
So throughout their thirty-minute walk, the two teens had been holding hands as they enjoyed the beauty and splendour of their cave walk.  
Every so often Mitsuru would check if her kohai was being uncomfortable with her sudden aggressiveness but he seemed to be fine. She really didn’t know what came to her when she grabbed him like that but it just seemed natural.  
“Is there something wrong senpai?” Minato asked as they reached the end of the cave.  
“Uhh . . .” the girl shook her head “Nothing, quite the opposite actually,” she said giving a genuine smile.  
He gave a smile of his own “I’m glad”  
Mitsuru took a deep breath “Remember that time when I said I was hesitant about this trip?”  
“You mean back at the hotel in Tokyo?” he nodded “Yes”  
“Well could you forget that ever happened?” she said smiling awkwardly “I mean, we’ve already come this far. And to be honest I’ve enjoyed myself a lot during this trip”  
While most of the other tourists were pointing out pretty spots on the cave Minato couldn’t help but just stare at his senpai, the lighting in the cave made her look quite appealing “Again, I’m glad. That was the whole point of the trip”  
“Thank you for doing this” her eyes sparkled with joy “This may sound weird but if someone else had suggested this trip to me I would have refused. There’s just something about you that makes me feel that I could go anywhere, as long as you’re there with me”  
Yep he was definitely thankful for the timing of the lights in this place as the moment he blushed pink lights started to cover the cave “To be honest, I wouldn’t have run around Japan with anyone else either”  
Mitsuru fidgeted “Well, we’ve got one more day together. Let’s make more memories that will last forever”  
It’s not like he could say no to that.

* * *

  
It was around two in the afternoon and the two were in a gas station in the middle of Maesawaku. Mitsuru was busy filling the tank of her motorcycle while Minato sitting at one of the chairs outside the convenience store wearing shades and eating a cherry flavoured ice cream.  
He was enjoying his frozen treat when he felt a vibration on his brown cargo pants; he then brought out his flip phone and gave a nonchalant hello.  
“Oho! He finally picked up the phone!” shit it was Junpei. “So Leader how was Mitsuru-senpai ahh. You spent two nights together so you must be quite tired am I right?  
Still chewing the ice cream “Pffup”  
“What is that?” the eager boy asked “You’re still up? Leader I know that’s she’s a beauty but please give her some time to rest”  
Swallowing his ice cream this time “I said fuck off”  
“Ooohhh, a rude one aren’t you HAHAHAAH. That’s our Leader always an eager man . . . ah... .oi oi . . . THIS IS MY PHONE HANDS OFF . . . YUKA-TAN!”  
Minato took a moment to stare at the phone before putting it back on his ear “Uhm . . . if you’re not gonna say . . .”  
“Minato-kun” came the familiar tone of Yukari Takeba “I’m sorry for all the random things Stupei said, he clearly isn’t thinking”  
The blue-haired boy sighed “It can’t be helped; even brainwashing won’t work on him” on second thought maybe he should think about doing that when he gets back.  
The girl chuckled “You got that right, anyway . . .” the girl went to a more serious tone “How are you doing?”  
“Mitsuru’s filling up the gas at the moment, we managed to get proper bills instead of the coins Akihiko placed and so far the bike hasn’t broken down, which is a miracle cause I dunno if we have money for another repair job”  
“Oh, that’s nice . . .”  
Minato took another bite off his ice cream “Mitsuru-senpai is fine, sure we’ve had our moments but I think she’s handling things well now. She’s actually enjoying herself to the point that she wants us to go golfing”  
“How about you then? Are you having fun there?” she then paused “Um, I mean it’s not that I’m saying you won’t have fun with her it’s just that . . . well . . . I was really surprised when Akihiko-senpai said you ran off together. It just seems . . . out of character for you”  
“Hmm” the ice cream was already gone leaving just a sticky cone “What exactly is in my character?”  
“I uh . . .” he could imagine her scratching her nose “Well . . . I know you’re a nice guy and are willing to help others but I didn’t know you’d go to such extremes”  
Playing with the cone in his fingers “She’s just got out of dark place, losing a loved one isn’t easy you and I both know that. But unlike us, however, Mitsuru didn’t have time to let it out; she had neither the time nor the outlet to let her grieve. If I just let her do it on her own terms she might not be able to recover, sure she’s strong and independent but she has her limits. I’m not going to just sit back and watch her breakdown”  
Yukari went silent after that.  
The boy slouched “I think I said too much”  
“You really care about her huh?”  
“Well she is our leader and she’s a good friend”  
“No . . . I have a feeling it goes deeper than that”  
Minato sat up straight “What are you . . .”  
“AHHHHHH GIVE ME MY PHONE!”  
“STUPEI DON’T DO THAT”  
“YOU VIOLATED MY PROPERTY”  
“IF THERE’S ANYONE VIOLATING SOMETHING IT’S YOU!”  
And from a distance, Fuuka’s voice could be heard, though what she actually says could not be clear.  
Not wanting to have his ears bleed from another Takeba-Iori civil war he hung up “Something deeper huh”  
“How rude you didn’t even buy me one” Minato looked up to see a pouting Mitsuru “You have no idea how to treat a lady”  
The blue-haired boy offered the cone “Want some?”  
The woman smiled “If you insist” she quickly took the cone from his hand and took a bite “Hmm I didn’t know you liked cherry”  
Ignoring the signals that were going off in his head “So you’re serious about that golf thing?” he asked.  
“Of course” she said finishing the cone and licking the remnants off her fingertips “I think it’s only fair I show you something this time”  
“Oh joy”

* * *

  
“I thought you had never played before” they were currently walking to their sixth hole.   
“I guess its beginner's luck?” Minato shrugged.  
“You’ve had had three eagle shots, two birdies and a hole in one” the heiress shook her head “If you keep this up I might actually lose”  
He put down both his and Mitsuru’s golf clubs “That’s because you’re going easy on me” he then leered “And didn’t you say this was 18 holes?”  
Mitsuru did a playful smile “Backing down from the challenge?”  
“My luck could only take me so far” the blue-haired boy closed his eyes.  
As they neared a lake in the course Mitsuru suddenly spoke “Actually, there’s something that I would like to ask you”  
Clasping his hands behind his neck “Sure go ahead”  
The girl was looking away from him staring at the grass “Hypothetically, what would you think if I told you I was interested in someone?”  
At this, he opened his eyes.  
“And even though I could never be with him, I can’t stop thinking about him” she was thankful her hair was covering her face as she was now blushing mad “Would that be wrong . . . hypothetically?”  
Minato turned to her but he could exactly see her, her damn hair was in the way. Did she just admit she liked someone? Well, it was normal for a girl to feel that way it’s not like he could stop her from liking someone but . . . who the heck is this guy? Was it her fiancé? Was it some other dude he wasn’t aware of? Was it Akihiko, they were childhood friends long before he showed up . . . maybe it was Koromaru.  
Shit, he better say something before he sounds rude “No, I don’t think it is”  
“Oh . . .” Mitsuru said sounding disappointed, she then faced him “Arisato . . . you see . . .”  
“Mitsuru is that you?” at once the two teens turned and saw three men approach them. One was a balding man wearing white golf clothes, the one next to him was a younger one with an obnoxious slicked back purple hair and was wearing black golf clothes the extremely younger man behind them carrying their golf clubs must be the caddie.  
When Mitsuru recognized one of them her faced hardened “Masakado-san”  
The purple-haired man went over to the girl completely ignoring Minato “Why I didn’t think I would see you here” he touched her shoulders.  
Mitsuru seemed uncomfortable and held on tightly to her golf club “You seem to be busy . . .”  
“Ah yes I was having a simple game with Osamu-san” he gestured towards the balding man “This young lady over here is my fiancé, Mitsuru Kirijo”  
The older man rubbed his chin “Ah, of the Kirijo Group” he gave Mitsuru a small bow “Condolence for your father’s passing”  
The redhead gave a small nod “Thank you . . .”  
Masakado rolled his eyes “She’s probably glad that old man is dead already, I know I’m relieved that person has done nothing but cause trouble for everyone”   
At this Mitsuru untangled herself from him “How dare you!” she raised her voice at him “How could you say something like that!?”  
Minato could tell that his senpai was currently seething with anger if things were to escalate it wouldn’t be good for the bastard or for Mitsuru.   
So he might as well take the hit for her sake “You have no right to say such things regarding Kirijo-san”  
“Oh, and why is that?” Masakado looked at him with disdain.  
Keeping a passive face “Because that man has more honour and dignity than you have fashion sense, seriously with all your money you couldn’t even afford to acquire some sense of taste”  
This riled up the man “How dare you to speak like that to me!” he shrieked “Do you know who I am!? Do you know how much I’m worth? I can buy you right now!”  
“Umm . . . Masakado-san please calm down” the balding man said.  
“Shut up you geezer!” the purple-haired man went up to Minato “Listen here punk; this is none of your business so you better get off my face!”  
Minato snorted “You know now that I see you up close I can say that your hair is the least of your problems, have you considered plastic surgery? Or was your nose job botched?”  
The purple-haired man’s nostrils flared and he turned to Mitsuru “Mitsuru you better come with me now, this punk you’re with is nothing but trouble for you!”  
“But he’s my friend” Mitsuru clenched unto her golf club. “I can’t just abandon him here”  
At this Masakado groaned “What is wrong with you! I’m already doing your damn company a favour! If it weren’t for me the Kirijo Group will be six feet under the ground just like your father. So would you be a grateful woman for once and just follow my orders!”  
“Don’t you even dare boss her around” Minato gritted his teeth.  
“What have I told you little piece of trash!” Masakado yelled “Get lost and die rotting with you underprivileged kind”  
“ENOUGH!” Mitsuru yelled so loud that the poor caddie dropped the bags he was holding and dropped to the floor. “YOU!” she pointed her finger at Masakado “Don’t you even dare speak to him like that, I swear on my father’s grave that if you insult him one more time I’ll have your head”  
The purple-haired man gasped in shock “What. . . Mitsuru . . . are you defending him!?”  
“OF COURSE I AM!” she stomped her foot.  
“Mitsuru” Masakado tried to regain control of the situation “You have to calm down, we’re engaged you can’t just defend this random lowlife. What will happen to our image?”  
The redhead growled at him which caused Masakado to jerk back “That so-called low life happens to be the man that I love, and I don’t care about you and your money! I’m a Kirijo I don’t need another man to carry the burden of my problems! I will take control of the company and turn it around without your help. If there is anyone who’s a scum on this soil it’s you!”  
“Are you even . . .” before he could say anything Mitsuru raised her golf club “Ok you know what fine whatever!” he removed his gloves and turned to Osamu “And you know what your golf course is just sub-par in standards, the only reason I’m playing with you is because of the upcoming merger”  
Osamu-san rubbed his beard “Well if you say so, you may leave my property”  
“I will gladly leave your property!” he then turned around and ran off only for him to stumble on one of the sand dunes and get covered in sand and chased off by the caddie who was now driving a golf cart.  
Osamu-san then faced Mitsuru “I apologize for what just occurred Kirijo-san, your afternoon game might have been ruined by that man”  
The redhead tried breathing to calm herself down “Its fine, I think I should be the one apologizing for my misconduct”  
“It’s fine” the old man chuckled “You were just defending your boyfriend’s honour, and he was doing the same for you”  
“Umm . . .” Mitsuru blinked “Boyfriend?”  
Osamu-san nodded “Yes, didn’t you just call this young man the one you love?”  
Immediately she turned to Minato who was now facing another direction not looking at her but there was an extreme shade of pink in his cheek.  
“Oh no . . .” Mitsuru herself went red “I just screamed that out loud didn’t I?”  
  


 


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With her father's passing, Kirijo Group in a mess, and the Dark Hour Mitsuru Kirijo had a lot on her plate. So she was more than surprised when Minato suggested she drop everything . . . even just for a weekend.

Mitsuru Kirijo was in love with him.

Minato didn’t know how to feel about this development in their relationship, in fact, he didn’t know what to feel about anything at all. Back at Iwatodai Dorm was a certain someone who was waiting for his possible execution by his hand. In fact, he was surprised that Mitsuru didn’t bring up about the ordeal throughout the trip, he didn’t know whether to be relieved or be guilty.

What exactly should he feel?

Emotions were one thing he was not very good at handling. He usually just let life do whatever it wanted to do with him. When he was bullied in school for his weird hair colour (which apparently was natural) he didn’t care, when Junpei yet again messed up with his laptop for some reason he just shrugged it off and let revenge happen later, when he walked into Tatsumi Port Island to see green skies and blood he just walked to his dorm like it was a normal day for him.

There were times when his emotions got the best of him though. He might not have a clear memory of his childhood heck the day his parents died was a complete blur to him. But if there was one thing he could recall from that fateful day it was the sense of dread. Not the sounds of tire screeching and yells or the vision of blood and gunfire, the one thing that he could remember was a feeling, an emotion.

It was like there was something in his chest that was weighing him down like something was choking him and the air in his lungs had been sucked out. It was the feeling of being tired while being wide awake at the same time. It was the feeling of not anger, not sadness but a combination of both at the same neither of the two.

The concept of feeling too much of something he could not understand became unbearable. And it was because of that he decided to just not feel at all. Numb the pain; pretend the pain wasn’t there, mind over the matter they say.

This was another reason why he was usually a loner. He kept to himself because if he actually cared then these feelings might come back. He pushed anyone that tried to come close to him, even his own sister was not an exception. He could remember how Naoto would come to him every time she had a new detective story or gadget she made and he would either rebuff her or completely ignore her. Right now he blames himself for why she had become scared of social interaction.

When Igor had told him the importance of Social Links he almost fell off the fancy couch he was sitting on. Was it ironic or poetic? Strength from social interaction? The stronger the bond the stronger the persona? It was basically a contradiction to everything he ever stood for.

He was now forced to listen, to understand, to care. For a moment it wasn’t actually bad. Knowing all the stories people tell him, forming bonds and just enjoying the company of others. For once his heart did not feel heavy but it actually felt light.

But then reality hit. Trusted allies were not what they seemed to be. Enemies turned out to have motives that aren’t that wrong. People one by one abandoned them for the afterlife. And suddenly the pains in his chest were coming back with a vengeance.

Maybe this trip wasn’t for Mitsuru but actually for himself. Maybe he was the one who was trying to escape. He’s done it before maybe he could do it again. With this much pressure placed upon him, with these much people relying on him, with these much people having expectations and with the same amount of people who want to see him fail . . . he was walking into the valley of the shadow of death.

Minato stopped walking, he didn’t know how long or how far he had been wandering. It was only in here where he decided to take a look at his surroundings. He apparently stumbled upon a park, it was snowing but not quite hard and to make things even grimmer he was surrounded by what looked like dead cherry blossom trees.

He let out a breath and smoke came out of his mouth. It was cold right now; despite the fact that he was wearing a coat he didn’t feel any less cold or any warmer. His mp3 was playing ‘Fate is in Our Hands’ and he couldn’t help but chuckle at that.

He turned to look up at the sky “Fate huh?” he muttered to himself. The snow continued to fall on his face when he felt his cell phone vibrate. It was a text message from Mitsuru telling what hotel they were staying in.

Right after leaving the golf course the two had went back to their silent treatment of each other. Mitsuru’s was probably out of embarrassment, while his was because he really didn’t know what to say.

He placed his phone back in his pocket and sighed, it was as though they went back to zero again. He should really set his priorities straight if he had priorities, to begin with. Again his pocket was vibrating this time it was constant, that meant it was a call.

“Arisato” he answered.

“Ah, Minato-kun” came the slightly monotonous tone of Aigis “I had borrowed Yukari-chan’s device to contact you”

At this Minato raised a brow “Don’t you have a phone built in you?”

“I wanted to experience using a cellular device, it’s a simple experiment” the android replied.

“I . . . see. Is there something you wanted to talk about?”  
“There is actually, this may be considered a rude and too personal of a question but I believe we are close enough to discuss matters such as this”

Was he going to ask about Pha . . . Ryo . . . death?

“I know that from early on I had told you about my interest in you” Aigis paused for a moment “From what I had heard from Fuuka-chan and Yukari-chan is that when a girl confesses her feelings to someone, a reply is to be expected”

He had almost forgotten about that. He swears Junpei must spreading rumours right now about him being some gigolo. “I had a lot on my mind lately, I’m sorry if I didn’t give you an answer”

“I understand. This must be a bother for you. I presume that all this stress must have prompted for you to go on an impromptu vacation with Mitsuru-senpai”

He relaxed his shoulders “You can say that”  
  
“I apologize; I must be disturbing your relaxation time”

“Actually . . . I should be the one apologizing to you” he shoved his free hand into his pocket “I shouldn’t leave you hanging on the line or something”

The robot sounded confused “Hanging on the line? I’m standing in the lobby”

“Ah . . . it’s an expression” he fiddled with the change inside his pocket “I appreciate your sincerity with me; I have no hard feelings on you for what happened years ago you were simply doing your job”

“Please don’t mistake my feelings for you as a result of guilt” Aigis replied immediately “From what I understand . . . or from what I don’t understand is that I admire you as a leader, I admire your loyalty and understanding to the group, I appreciate how you were forgiving of me despite my sins toward you and . . . I just . . . love . . . everything about you . . . that’s what I feel for you . . . a very strong emotion of love”

He closed his eyes, two confessions in one day? Kenji would probably bow down to him at this point. “I . . .” he could imagine Aigis clutching unto Yukari’s phone tightly and he made a mental note to buy the said archer a new phone on her birthday in payment for the damage that he would indirectly inflict on it.

“I . . . I’m sorry I said too much” Aigis said in reply to his silence “This must be displeasing to you”

He took a deep breath, it was now or never, he better choose his words carefully. “Aigis, I admit that I do value you. I care about you a lot, you’re one of the most valuable assets to the team and you’re a really great friend.”  
She was silent.

“But . . . I’m sorry but I can’t reciprocate your love.” He winced rejecting a girl was hard but rejecting Aigis over the phone of all places was not a very ‘manly’ thing to do “I hope you understand I only see you as a friend”

Again there was silence on her end. Damn, did he break her?

“I understand Minato-kun” was the reply of the girl though he could sense a tinge of sadness in her tone “Despite your rejection of my feelings that will not change my own. You are still the most precious thing to me; though you may not be able to feel such things for me I will be happy for the person whom you shall express such feelings for”

He let out a deep breath “I’m sorry Aigis, I hope you can find a better person to show your love for. Whoever that person may be must be very lucky”

“Well then I must return this cellular device to Yukari-chan, it seems like it has run out of batteries”

“I see goodbye then Aigis”

“I hope for your safe return Minato-kun” and with that, she hung up.

Minato stared at his phone for a moment, he owes the robo . . . girl big time. He wasn’t lying when he said he valued her as a friend but not a romantic interest. That didn’t mean he didn’t feel guilty for probably giving Aigis her first idea or heartbreak.

Yukari was going to kill him when they return.

“I better head for the hotel,” he said putting her phone back. He had one more important conversation to have.

* * *

  
“I think I scared him” Mitsuru was currently exploring the shops around Nasushiobara looking for souvenirs to give to the members of SEES, the student council and the fencing team.

She had stumbled upon a farmer’s market from wandering around and was now inspecting the products of each stall.

“You’ve scared who?” Mitsuru looked up to see an elderly man carrying bundles of leeks.

Mitsuru held up her hands “Oh sorry, I was just conversing with myself”

The farmer shook his head “Kids these days” he then placed then went behind the stall to place the leeks somewhere “So are you going to buy something?”  
“Umm . . . yes” she picked up a piece of Sakuranbo “How much for these?”

After buying a couple of fruits and vegetables Mitsuru made her way back to the hotel. She could have driven her motorcycle for the trip but she thought that the bike could use some rest, this meant an hour walk.

As soon as they reached the city Minato told her that he was going for a simple walk. He probably needed some time to relax away from her which was understandable; even she was getting tired of herself.

Part of her regretted about the outburst another felt relieved that she finally got it out of her chest. It wasn’t only to Minato that she admitted her feelings but to herself, she had finally succumbed to that fact that she was in love with her kohai.

“I guess there’s no turning back” she glanced up to the sky; she had forgotten that it was snowing. She was amazed that there was a farmers market opened in the winter but then again people had to make a living.

She walked the cold streets that were full of horns honking and people yelling. It was already seven in the evening and she was starting to get hungry, she had texted Minato an hour ago on where their hotel was and she didn’t get a response.

In order to avoid any more awkward encounters, she decided to get separate rooms for them. It might have messed up with their budget a bit but it was their last night, after all, tomorrow they were going back to Tatsumi Port.

It was amazing on how many things had changed in the past three days. Sure there were several unchangeable things like Dark Hour and the Kirijo Group going near collapse but there were still changes. She finally decided on what path she would take, she no longer was bound by the chains of her family and was now in the reins of her future. While she isn’t exactly clear on what her relationship with Minato was as of now she could say she knew him better now.

She knew that he was a quiet sleeper, she knew that he liked sweets a lot, she knew that he loved his sister very much that he was willing to push her away for her safety and she knew that he would stand up for his friends no matter what the consequences. He was a good friend and it was all thanks to him that she was now a better person.

As she reached the hotel a smile formed on her face. Even if he were to reject her feelings now she would be fine. The fact that she could feel love was enough for her.

“You need help with that senpai?”

Mitsuru looked up and it was Minato who was about to ask for a key from the front desk “I can handle it” she said.

“No, I insist,” he said approaching her and grabbing the bags from her hands.

“If you say so”

* * *

  
“About this afternoon . . .”

Minato looked up from the Motegi Yuzu Salt Ramen he was eating. They were currently having dinner in the hotel; despite the low prices for the food, the ramen wasn’t half bad.

“I can’t believe I said all those things” Mitsuru tensed “I’m so sorry, really up to that moment I’ve been contemplating about my feelings for you. I didn’t expect it to come out like that; it’s hard to believe I did that in front of Osamu-san and a few golfers”

The boy put down his chopsticks “You know, I’ve been thinking about what you said”

At this, the redhead paled “You were?!”

He nodded “It’s never every day your senpai tells off her fiancé telling him she likes someone else, especially since . . . it turned out to be me”

If Mitsuru was embarrassed awhile back right now she wished she would melt into a puddle “I’m sorry you had . . . to hear it that way”

“Hear me out” he propped his chin on his hands “You are an extremely beautiful woman, you’re an admirable leader and you’re the glue that holds us together which I greatly appreciate. Everything about you is just . . . amazing really. To be honest you could say you’re pretty much out of my league”

Redness was showing on Mitsuru’s face, she’s starting to wonder how many times she’s blushed throughout this trip.

“When I first met you, you had such an air of authority that I actually felt intimidated by you, and it was Yukari who had a gun aimed at me”

Mitsuru grinned “It’s like you’re saying she’s not intimidating”

“Well I learned she was a few weeks later, but that’s not what we’re talking about” he looked at her directly in the eye “In the next few months my respect for you began to grow, you handle the weight on your shoulders with grace and you tried your best to put others needs before yours”

“Umm . . . are you . . . just going to keep complimenting me?” she was getting really flustered by this.

At this, he chuckled “I could spend an entire night talking about how great you are . . . but . . .”  
Mitsuru braced herself for what he was going to say.

“Why me?”

She was taken aback by the question “Could you repeat that”

“Look I’m not trying to lower my own self-esteem or anything but” he rubbed the back of his head “As I said you’re completely out of my league, the fact that you rejected a guy who could not only provide you stability but save your company just for me . . . Ok I know he’s a jerk but . . .”

A smile formed on her face “This is probably the first time I’ve heard you rambling”

“Uhh” he blushed in embarrassment “Yeah, I don’t normally do that”

Mitsuru played with the napkin on the table as an awkward silence passed between the two. They were the only ones dining and the only other people in the room were gossiping waiters and a chef who was smoking in a far corner of the room.

“So . . . I heard you turned down Aigis” Mitsuru suddenly brought up.

The boy flinched “Umm . . . let me guess Yukari told you”

“She said that she was having . . . a rollercoaster of mixed emotions” the redhead bit her lip.

Minato rubbed his temples “I tried to be gentle as I could but . . . well the fact that it was over the phone probably removed some of the sincerity about it”

“That’s why Yukari wanted to . . . do certain things to you when we return”

“That’s a joy”

“So . . .” Mitsuru had ripped the tissues near her into several pieces already, she had nothing left to fondle her fingers with “Are you going to let me down easy as well?”

The boy jolted “What?”

“I mean, from what you said” Mitsuru looked away “It appears you have some doubts regarding me”

He sighed “I’m sorry if it sounded that way”

“Its fine I understand you have more important matters to think about” Mitsuru gave him a bittersweet smile “I’ve come to the conclusion that though I may not have your heart you’ve made a big enough impact on me. You made me realize that there were other paths to take and inspired me to decide my own future. And for that I’m grateful”  
He went silent he didn’t know what to say.

“I just wanted to tell you how I felt” the heiress dusted off the ripped pieces of paper off the table “I couldn’t hide it from you any longer”

The corners of his mouth turned up “What if I told you . . .”

Mitsuru let out a gasp when he reached over to touch her hand. They had held hands before and she was amazed at how gentle his hands were.

“I felt the same”

* * *

  
Despite already having separate rooms the ‘fool’ still followed the heiress to her quarters. Again despite being quite cheap, the room was bigger than expected, in fact, Mitsuru’s room had its own lounge with one porpoise coloured couch and two parakeet green armchairs. There were used curtains that covered the single window of the room and on the side were a tiny grey mini-fridge and a lamp with no bulb inside.

The walls were somewhere between peach when they were far from the light and green when stroked by sunlight. The floor was tiled into probably 50 different shades of grey and the only sources of light in the room were the two wall sconces right above the ugly couch.

Yep, definitely made the most of the budget.

“You didn’t have to return the key of your room” Mitsuru was about to put her room keys into a coffee table only to realize the room did not come with such luxuries so just hold onto it “I’m sure you’d want to sleep by yourself for once”

Minato closed the door to her room “I can sleep alone when we’re back in the dorm”

At this, a blush yet again formed on her cheeks “Well . . . I guess it is our last night here . . . alone”

“I guess so” the boy gave a half-shrug.

“Oh, I almost forgot” Mitsuru opened her black leather clutch and took out a pair of keys before approaching Minato and offering it to him. “I want you to have this”

Minato looked at the item that dropped in his hands “Your motorcycle keys?”

The redhead girl’s face lit up “I’m not gonna run away from the future anymore, there’s no need for me too. I don’t have to think of my motorcycle as a means to escape from my feelings.”

Minato stared at her then at the keys then back at her.

“I admit I’m a bit saddened by the fact that I won’t be able to drive it anytime soon” she looked away from him “I had a lot of fun driving around the country with you”

The boy closed his palm “I’ll be sure to take good care of it”

At this, the young woman chuckled “But before you drive it you’ll have to get your license first”

“I could use some lessons then” he smirked placing the keys in his pocket “Would you mind playing teacher?”

“I’m sure you won’t be a very difficult student, Minato” when she mentioned his name she couldn’t help but pause and get flustered “. . . It’s . . . kinda weird to start calling you that, you didn’t even flinch when you mentioned mine earlier”

The boy grinned “Takes a lot of practice I guess”

“I’ll try not getting embarrassed next time” she took a deep breath “Minato . . .” she then went red again and she immediately covered her face with her palms

The boy just shook his head finding it very amusing on how nervous the normally student council president was just by his name, he was starting to find great pride in that. “You’re adorable, you know that right?” he teased.

Dropping her hands “Well, your name is now special to me. It’s going to be the name I call when I’m in danger and it’s my last desperate call for help” a smile formed on her face “What on earth am I saying right now?”

Minato stepped closer to her until there was no gap between them; Mitsuru blushed at the proximity between them while he just gave her an intense look.

“Umm . . .” she looked down only for her to look up again when Minato’s hands cupped her face “Minato . . .”

“Forgive me about this but . . .” without finishing his sentence he brought his lips to hers.

At that her eyes went wide, this was something she never felt before, and never in her life did she feel this much tingles. The tiny hairs in her body were raised, her spine went straight and her brain went to mush.

And to think it was just a simple peck on the lips.

When Minato pulled away Mitsuru didn’t know if she wanted to smack the cocky smirk on his lips or just have another taste of said lips.

She decided to go for the latter.

* * *

  
When Minato woke up this morning he didn’t expect much from the day. He didn’t expect that he’d be hiking up a mountain in the dead end of the winter. He didn’t expect to find crazy nuns who serve alcohol to minors in the said mountain. He didn’t expect that he would be more interested in the colour of Mitsuru’s eyes than an entire limestone cave. He didn’t expect that said girl would not only defend his honour against her fiancé but actually dump the bastard for him. But if someone had told him that he would be taking the Kirijo heir’s virginity he would have launched a Maragidyne attack on the idiot who would say such a thing.

Yet it did happen.

Right now the wildcard persona user was in the shower letting the hot water spray over him as he contemplated how he found himself in such a position.

It’s not that he didn’t enjoy it; in fact, he might have had a little too much fun. He had pure intentions, taking things slow; figuring out on how to pursue a relationship in the midst of what was probably a bleak future.

Maybe it was the setting, maybe it was the stress, and maybe it was the teenage hormones or just the plain fact that they indeed had an unsure future. What happened had happened and he would have to prepare himself for the consequences that would soon happen.

“I’m a dead man” the boy muttered. He was standing up on the shower, hands leaning against the walls and his head hung low. He could hear the debates among his personas on whether or not he did the right thing or not. Some said it was a long time coming, some said things were going too fast, others say he demoralized the young lady’s dignity and then there’s the one dude who’s already coming up ways to fake his death. And yes, that guy happened to Jack Frost.

“Really? We’re going that route?” Minato growled.

We can probably have a good life in Mexico.

Sarasvati smacked the iced Jack The Master needs to take responsibility for what he did

Responsibility!? He’s only a teenager! An extremely horny one in fact

Again another smack was given. While this was going on Tartarus was just chuckling at the dilemma and Orpheus was quietly judging him.

And all of this was giving Minato was a hell of a headache.

“Minato, are you in here?”

She was awake, shit.

The door opened and in came the redhead beauty dressed in only a blanket wrapped around her “I heard you turn on the shower” despite her hair looking like tumbleweed she managed to pull it off like some avant-garde model of sorts.

“I just . . . needed to cool down” he said turning the tab on a little stronger.

A frown appeared on the young woman’s face “You’re gonna get a burn with that much hot water”

“I’ve lived through worst”

Mitsuru wasn’t convinced “Did you . . . regret what happened... .?”

At once he turned off the water and faced her.

“I mean . . . we were going a bit too fast” she looked away and tucked her hair behind her ear “Just this morning I wasn’t too sure of my feelings for you and now we . . .”

“Do you regret it?” he asked.

The young woman looked up and stared at him. This was the boy no . . . man. This was the man whose life her family had flipped upside down. He should be mad at her but she wasn’t, instead, he willingly assisted her in correcting the faults of her family’s past. The SEES most valuable asset, he was their leader, their trump card, heck he was the wildcard. They’ve all been through tough times and one way or another they managed to make it through, one way or another.

As the year begins they face another obstacle. It was a looming battle that would determine the faith of humanity. And it all depended on them, on him. The future was certainly uncertain for them, would they live tomorrow? Would this be their last night? What happens next when the shadows and Dark Hour comes to a close?

She no longer needed answers for those questions. The future may be a beast that would haunt them now but it was one she . . . they could overcome. She had already chosen her path, it may be an unsure path but it was her future. And that future included him.

“No” she shook her head with a smile. “I don’t”

A moment of silence passed between the two. Red eyes stared into blue and vice versa. The only sound that could be heard was the dripping of the faucet and the faint sounds from Minato’s mp3 player.

He turned on the shower again this time with cold water.

She slowly moved forward taking off the blanket as she stepped into the shower.  
He stroked her face as soon as she was in proximity.

She gazed into his eyes giving him one last form of approval.

Without wasting a second his lips were on hers. Almost immediately she opened her mouth to give him access to go deeper. Her hands held onto his chest while he used his free hand to hold her waist to pull her closer to him.

Moments passed by before the two pulled out to catch to breath. The redhead looked down “This . . . is usually the part where the woman . . . offers to wash the man”

Minato was looking up the ceiling “How on earth did Gekkoukan have erotica in their library collection?”

“Umm . . . I didn’t get the book from the library” her blush intensified “I bought it in my own accord . . .”

At this, he looked at her “Well . . . since you’re offering . . .”

“I . . . um . . .” she took a deep breath “Well I did offer didn’t I?” she pushed away from him and took the soap “Where should I start then?”

“You’re serious... .!?”

The embarrassment in her face was replaced but the face she put on whenever she was ordering people around “Turn around, I’m gonna start with your back”

“This is gonna be a good morning” Minato mumbled, turning around.

Mitsuru snickered, pressing her palms on the small of his back.

He turned around and faced her.

Her brows went up, “Uhm….”

He smirked at her, “You could probably reach around me.”

She laughed, “I know where you’re getting at.”

He chuckled and pecked her lips.

She hummed until he pulled back.

And then she sees his eyes, pupils dilated, his breathing deep. Then she understood.

With soap suds, her hands snaked up to the back on his neck and pulled him back into a kiss. Though this time more aggressive, more possessive.

Then he cornered her until her back was pressed against the wall. A hand went over to caress her red locks while another exploring the familiar skin he had got acquainted with a few moments ago. His hand then proceeded lower until he felt something warm between her legs.

She gasped when she felt his fingers prodded into the entrance of her womanhood.

A smirk appeared on his lips “Up for another round?”

As a reply, she bit unto his lips, hard.

He then lifted up one of her legs over his shoulder giving his finger more access to her core. The redhead’s moans increased as his finger was joined by another and the paced was increased. She could feel her walls clench around his two digits, her eyes were getting hazy and her breathing was getting rapid. She let out a long satisfied moan when she finished, her legs now felt like jelly.

The sight of that alone was enough for him to feel hard again. And when Mitsuru had recovered from her high she also noticed this. “Looks like it’s my turn” Minato put down her leg and the woman kneeled on the floor facing the thing that had ripped her hymen earlier that evening.

“So . . . this was . . . inside me” the heiress used her left hand to hold one of the sacs and her right hand to hold the penis, as expected it was a little bigger than normal, but it wasn’t one that could probably kill her. She moved her hand up and down to get the feel of it first, Minato moaning a bit in delight. After a few strokes, she went closer and brought out her tongue to lick the shaft going from down to up. Her mouth then went to the tip spitting at it before licking the upper skin very slowly. It was in here when she inserted the first few inches into her mouth and started bobbing while using her hand to rub the part she couldn’t suck.

The blue-haired boy held onto the shower walls for support. The girl’s fingers were going everywhere and she was starting to bob her head at a fast pace. He then grabbed a piece of her red hair and starting pulling it making the girl bob faster. It only took a matter of time before he let out a loud growl as he finally released his seed into her mouth.

Her eyes were filled with tears for some reason but that didn’t stop her from taking his entire load and sucking him off dry. She pulled out of his cock with a pop and took a moment to swallow everything.

Minato was panting heavily trying to regain his breath as he saw the redhead who was now filled with water, sweat and cum.

Later Mitsuru found herself bent over facing the wall with her hands holding the surface for support. Seeing as her entrance was already very much lubricated when Minato inserted his dick inside her it went along quite smoothly.

The girl still gasped at this as she still wasn’t quite used to his impressive size, she had almost choked when she placed that thing in her mouth.

Holding onto her waist she slowly moved his hips and he couldn’t help but groan at how tight his senpai was.

The girl let out a couple of moans as he pushed in and out of her. While she did find it quite pleasurable she couldn’t help but crave for more. So she then turned her head towards him “Umm . . . could you . . . go . . . faster . . . .”

He was gritting his teeth “You sure about that”

She gave him a very seductive smile “Don’t hold back”

At this, he stopped moving his hips, which cause the girl to whine.

“I didn’t mean . . . AH” she let out a loud gasp when he gave her a hard thrust, which was followed by another and another.

“You asked for it” he smirked at her reactions as he had one hand holding her waist and another one groping her very round and plump ass.

When Mitsuru first read about sex she found it quite . . . disturbing if she were, to be honest. She never understood why many people of her age found the topic fascinating or were addicted to it. To her sex was just a way to continue the human race. Whenever she would catch a few students who were doing such acts in either restroom or on the school rooftop she couldn’t help but compare to the woman’s screams to that of a wild animal.

Yet here she is now doing the same thing. She was in a random city in some cheap motel getting pounded by her junior in the shower. She didn’t know what sorts of sounds were escaping her mouth right now but she was sure they were probably inhuman.

Minato was doing everything in his power to not cum yet. He couldn’t help it; she was pretty much screaming his name like a wild banshee, she felt extremely tight and the mere fact that he was doing all of this raw was too much. He removed his hand from his waist to play with her shaking boobs making sure to twist her nipples.

This made the woman arch her back enough that he could actually kiss her forehead.

But sadly all things have to come to an end.

“I’m . . . gonna cum” he panted in the midst of thrusts.  
She replied by pulling his head for one last kiss, it was a sloppy one but the two didn’t care much at this point.

After giving two very hard thrusts that sent her over the edge he released his seed inside her causing her to also do the same.

The two immediately fell to the floor of the shower, panting heavily, cold water dripping over them and the sense of absolute satisfaction.

Minato later spoke after a while “The water bill is gonna be high”

The redhead smacked her lover’s chest “That’s the least of your problems” he said letting out a hearty laugh. 

* * *

  
It was much much later in the day when they finally decided to have breakfast (they had slept until noon). Mitsuru was sipping on her coffee feeling quite . . . good. She didn’t know whether it was her visit with her mother, her liberation from her engagement or . . . she blushed heavily, the events that occurred last night and early morning.

“Looks like we’re having ramen again” Minato came over to their table with two giant bowls of noodles. “They stopped serving actual breakfast at ten”

The redhead just nodded with a smile before splitting her chopsticks and beginning to eat.

“Umm . . .” the younger teen was staring at his noodles with uncertainty.

At this Mitsuru frowned “Is something troubling you?”

He gave an awkward smile “Not really, it’s just that” he let out a sigh “I received a message from my sister”

 

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With her father's passing, Kirijo Group in a mess, and the Dark Hour Mitsuru Kirijo had a lot on her plate. So she was more than surprised when Minato suggested she drop everything . . . even just for a weekend.

Upon arriving at Shirogane estate that morning the two were greeted by Yakushiji an elderly man in his fifties wearing a three-piece Ralph Lauren suit and a pair of Persol shades.   
“It’s good to see you again Master Minato” he then greeted the redhead who got off her bike “I see you’ve brought company”  
The blunette nodded at the secretary “How is grandfather doing?”  
“He is doing well so far, bedridden, but well” the elderly man gave an easy smile before turning his gaze to Mitsuru “Pardon me, but you look quite familiar”  
Mitsuru bowed courtly “I am Mitsuru Kirijo, I apologize for my intrusion”  
The secretary rubbed his chin “Ah, of course, you look very much like your mother”  
“Thank you” she acknowledged politely.  
“Where’s Naoto?” Minato asked trying to not put too much attention on her.  
“The young master is currently watching the news in the living room” the secretary then led them into the Mediterranean style mansion. As soon as they entered the foyer they could spot a young lad dressed in a blue shirt with suspenders, dark slacks and a blue cap while holding a bowl of cereal.  
Yakushiji greeted the young boy “Master Naoto your brother is here”  
The fourteen-year-old turned to them immediately eyes went to the redhead wearing the intimidating biker outfit “Who is she?”  
Minato replied “Now don’t be rude”  
“Why shouldn’t I?”  
“She’s gonna be your sister-in-law” the older blunette smirked.  
At this Naoto dropped her spoon, Mitsuru blushed heavily and Yakushiji just smiled very widely.  
“What?!” Naoto’s voice rose revealing her high pitched feminine voice.  
Mitsuru shook her hands “Umm . . . we haven’t talked about . . . that yet . . .”  
“Yet?” Naoto stood up and looked up at the heiress “So you’ve got plans?”  
“Maybe . . . not now” Mitsuru gave the teenage boy a side glare “Your brother is just getting ahead of himself”  
As a reply, Minato just shrugged “Well worth the try”  
“Now why don’t you two have some breakfast” the secretary suggested “I’m sure you must be starving from driving all the way” 

* * *

  
Mitsuru could feel the stares of her boyfriend’s younger sister as she ate. While she was used to being under the constant gaze of people this was a different feeling. Unlike the nameless businessmen and aristocrats, she interacts with whose opinions she didn’t care about this was as Minato stated earlier, her sister-in-law, and if there’s something Mitsuru valued it’s making a good impression to family members.  
Sadly it seems Naoto was not very fond of her the moment she stepped into the house.  
The redhead had already changed from her biker suit into more casual attire which composed of a white sleeveless turtleneck shirt and black pants. They were currently partaking in sausage gravy lasagna and maple glazed doughnuts.  
“You know it’s rude to stare,” Minato told off his sister noticing the redhead’s discomfort.  
Naoto shifted her gaze to her older brother “You didn’t tell me you were bringing over a girl”  
“What can I say, I like being spontaneous” he bit off his doughnut.  
“You were never spontaneous” the younger girl frowned “You were never interested in girls and heck you never even talked when we ate”  
The older boy just shrugged “A change in environment perhaps”  
Naoto’s frown went deeper “Something tells me it’s something more than that”  
“Ah pardon me for interrupting” Yakushiji came over to the dining hall “But the Master would like to have a word with Master Minato”  
At once both Naoto and Minato stood up.  
“Alone” the secretary added.  
Naoto quickly sat down.  
Minato sighed and turned to Mitsuru as if asking if she would be fine being alone which the redhead replied with a smile. “Take me to him then,” Minato said leaving the dining hall and following the secretary.  
The two girls were now left alone. Mitsuru didn’t really know what to do now; she had never thought she’d be in such a situation before. She tried to think of ways to start off a conversation when she was cut off from her thoughts by the younger girl.  
“You’ve been sleeping with my brother haven’t you?”  
At once Mitsuru spat the coffee she was drinking her cup, took a napkin to wipe off her mouth and to also hide the intense blush that was on her face.  
Naoto kept a passive look on her face “You don’t have to deny it, its evident right in your face, and neck and well other parts”  
“I . . .” Mitsuru tried to keep a composed look “I don’t have any idea what you’re talking about”  
“Well then” the young blunette smirked “First, you seem to have trouble sitting down and walking it could be from the motorcycle ride so we’ll let that slide, next your voice, is quite raspy which is a sign that you’ve been screaming a lot and you don’t seem like a loud person, third you seemed quite drowsy and unfocused as we ate meaning you were quite tired from whatever activity you did last night”  
Mitsuru crossed her arms “Well there could be other things that could contribute to those factors”  
“True” Naoto nodded “Now Miss Kirijo if you wouldn’t mind telling me, where my brother got the bite mark on his neck?”  
Mitsuru did not know what sort of shade of red was covering her face now but what she did know was that Naoto would probably not believe whatever excuse she would tell her.  
“I won’t take it against you” the younger girl leaned against her seat “Though I would suggest that if you’re going to stay over for the night that you refrain from doing . . .” at this, the girl’s face for once looked flustered “That”  
“You really like to look into things huh?” the redhead tried to change the topic as any mention of her sex life would just make her want to bash Minato’s head when he gets back. “Your brother did say you were a detective in training”  
This seemed to spark the detective’s interest “He mentioned me?”   
Mitsuru put down her coffee cup “He did, he usually keeps to himself but he does talk about you on occasion” she had a sad smile on her face “Because he doesn’t seem to remember much about your parents”  
“He’s not the only one with that problem” Naoto’s face softened “I have a hard time too, if it were not for the pictures I wouldn’t even know what they look like”  
The heiress' shoulders slumped, it must have been very hard on the both of them “I’m sorry . . .”  
Almost immediately Naoto changed expression removing the sort of doubt on her face “I express my condolences on your father’s passing, I’ve only met him once but he seemed like a respectable man”  
“He was” she closed her eyes, “I noticed you seem to prefer masculine clothing”  
At this, the younger girl straightened her back “It’s . . . more comfortable . . .” she looked away trying to avoid the older girl’s gaze.  
Mitsuru opened one eye “Is that so, well I won’t judge you”  
Naoto let out an internal sigh of relief “So are you going to lead the Kirijo Group? Since you are the apparent heir”  
“I will, but I would rather concentrate on my studies” the redhead gave a little smile “If there’s one thing your brother taught me it’s that I have other options than the Group”  
The detective gave her usual neutral expression but she seemed to be in deep thought.  
It was in here that Minato returned to the dining hall. He noted the two girls, it was a though they were in the middle of some chess match and he wasn’t too sure if someone had won.   
Mitsuru greeted him with a warm smile “So you’re back. How is your grandfather?”  
“He’s fine” the boy replied “As nosy with my life as always, he wanted to ask how many children you were willing to bare”

* * *

  
The two siblings had somewhat of a complicated relationship. They were both quiet and reserved people so they weren’t as vocal of their affection compared to other families. This was not always the case though. When they were very young, Minato being five years old and Naoto around three the younger girl would always hold onto her big brother. She would follow him around, hold his hand when they were in public places and would always ask him questions about why the sky was blue and why the moon changes its look every evening.  
While usually, Minato would just let his sister be he did get annoyed at times when he didn’t have the answer to a certain question she would ask yet still ask him until he gave some random reason to why horses sleep standing up. All in all, they had a good relationship then.   
But it all changed when the accident happened.  
Whenever Naoto would try to remember that fateful day she would always remember a certain memory. She could remember fear. She could remember herself trembling as she heard sounds. She didn’t know what sort of sounds but she was very afraid of what she heard. She could recall the equally shaking hands that wrapped around her and with a hesitant voice telling her that everything was going to be ok.  
Close your eyes Naoto, nothing is going to hurt you.  
Only it didn’t. Everything hurt after that.  
When she woke up she was greeted by several adults she didn’t know. Strange people were asking her questions, saying they felt sorry for and others just stared at her as though she were pitiful.  
Her brother on the other hand felt . . . different.  
There something really odd in the way he looked. He was always quiet but . . . not to this extent. It was as though the life in his eyes had faded away. He was alive despite the several injuries he got.   
But inside he was dead.  
Nii-chan?  
He was a lost cause.  
From then on their relationship went distant. She would try to hold his hand but it always felt cold. She would make a joke but he would just stare. Nothing seemed to have affected him anymore.  
Psychologists came in and out of his room, some say he was in trauma others say he was experiencing depression; two of which were literally terrified of the boy.   
Why would a 40-year-old man fear a seven-year-old?  
But now it seemed her big brother had taken yet another personality change. He was still aloof and apathetic but he was actually more sociable. He seemed more open as he conversed with Yakushiji, he even joked around a few times (though his sense of humour was darker than others) and he actually . . . smiled.  
This was what was currently driving the Detective Prince insane.  
In ten years. TEN WHOLE YEARS. She had never seen her onii-chan smile. Not once.  
Yet he was twisting his mouth into one after hearing something from his heiress girlfriend. Was that really what he needed to be happy? A girlfriend? He would pick the soon-to-be heir of the same company that separated them? This was absolute madness in her opinion.  
But then again, Naoto thought. He did seem to show a few changes in personality ever since he arrived at Tatsumi Port Island. According to grandfather whenever he would call he seemed more ‘energized’ or ‘relaxed’. This was another thing that raises Naoto’s brow, why would he be more relaxed in the same city their parents died.  
She really had a lot of questions and she wanted answers.   
Now she could have asked a few questions from Kirijo-san but the girl knew how to avoid the questions and also Naoto couldn’t help but feel a tiny bit intimidated by the woman. Sure she could tease the redhead about her relationship with her brother but it just gave her thoughts she did NOT want to think about.  
This left her with no choice but to ask the damn guy himself.  
“Brother” Naoto spoke and three heads turned to her “If possible, I would like to speak to you in private”  
Kirijo had a slight look of concern, Yakushiji had his ever-present smile and Minato seemed to have expected something like this. “It’s fine”   
That’s what leads them to now. The two siblings were in their grandfather’s study. The study seemed out of place from the rest of the house. The walls were wallpapered in a green tartan design, the brick fireplace looked like poorly dried cement, there was a random rectangular Moroccan carpet that was gifted by a friend, and the large oak table was painted a dark shade of blue and lastly on the wall was painting of a woman with an oversized body and a tiny head.   
You could call the head of the Shirogane family eccentric or just plain disorganized.  
There was a moment of silence that passed between the two. Naoto felt slightly awkward for forgetting what to say while Minato felt surprisingly calm, there was a comfort he felt whenever he entered the messed up office.  
“So how was Tatsumi Port?” Naoto finally spoke, “Did anything change in the past ten years?”  
Minato was currently looking over at the scattered books on the blue oak desk “A lot, it’s more industrialized. It looks less like an island and more like a bunch of floating buildings”  
“Sounds like a bad thing” she crossed her arms.  
“Maybe more or less, it still has its charm though” he flipped over a copy of Herbert Marcuse’s One-Dimensional Man. “While it does have a dreary atmosphere the people are quite warm”  
Naoto fiddled with her matchbox disguised Swiss-army-knife “So you like the place so far, that’s good”  
“So how’s being in grandfather’s shoes?” he closed the book and turned to her “I heard that you’ve been handling a few cases while he’s currently ill”  
“Well . . .” she looked away to hide her embarrassment “I only assist, I don’t handle the whole case, its grandfather or the investigators who still get the final say”  
He gave her a soft smile; there it was again “Well it’s a start”  
She pocketed the matchbox and faced her brother again “You . . . seem different”  
At this, his smile slipped “Really now?”  
“I ah . . .” she turned scarlet “Didn’t mean it as a bad thing . . . I just . . . really feel like you’re . . . more yourself?”  
“More myself?”  
The younger blunette rubbed her shoulder “I mean . . . I can’t really be a judge of who you are, I can judge character but in the end, it’s all subjective. I mean, it’s like there were two versions of you: one before the accident and one after”  
He rubbed his chin “So you’re saying I’ve become my older self? Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”  
“To be honest it seems like a good thing. Forgive me if I’m being rude but the you after the accident was just . . . there. You were a person, you could eat, you sleep, you can think for yourself and you were healthy. You were perfectly human, except you didn’t have the most human factor of them all: emotion. It’s like you didn’t have a personality. You were neutral, had no solid opinion on anything and . . . it’s like you didn’t care if you were dead or alive”  
A smirk formed on his lips “I was basically a blank slate huh?”   
“I’m sorry if I was rambling but those were my observations”   
“Its fine” Minato went closer to the younger girl and placed a hand on her left shoulder “You were right, for ten years I wasn’t myself at all. I still had my body but I was not who I was”  
Her eyes burned with both curiosity and concern “Who were you then? Who are you now?”  
He gave her shoulder a light squeeze “I was Death. I may still be Death I may still be Minato. Maybe I’m now a combination of both”  
“Death?” the girl grew more curious.  
The boy just shook his head “I think this is getting a little too philosophical, I know you’re smart but even this isn’t my speciality”  
“You’re right” Naoto smiled “While we do have scientific explanations for a majority of what occurs there are certain things in which we fail to grasp” she sighed “I’m not saying philosophy and religion isn’t important, I’m just saying there’s a certain way to understand it”  
“You’ve been thinking way too much” he patted her “You’re gonna end up like Mitsuru if you keep that up”  
At this she went alert “That leads me to another question, how exactly did you end up dating the head of the Kirijo Group? I know you’re popular with women but even that’s a stretch”  
Minato snorted “You have little faith”

* * *

  
“So how was your talk?” Mitsuru was currently in Minato’s old bedroom trying to see what sort of person he was as his room back in the dorm was at best, bare.  
His room in the Shirogane estate seemed to have more of a personality, or at least tried to convey one. The walls were painted in different shades of brown, there was a bunk bed connected to the blue painted closet, under the upper bunk was a desk and a few books, there were pictures on the wall but they were mostly crime scene photos (apparently Naoto would use his room as some sort of thinking area) and right next to his closet was a red snowboard.  
“You snowboard?” Mitsuru asked pointing at the said object.  
“During winter, Christmas breaks usually” the boy shrugged, for some reason even that seemed like a blur to him “Almost forgot about that”  
The redhead sat on the tiny white steps that lead to the upper bunk bed “I wanted to see if I could find some embarrassing item or at least a baby picture but there was nothing”  
“I’m sorry if I’m so boring,” Minato said dryly picking up his snowboard analyzing as if wondering if the thing was even his, to begin with.  
The redhead bit her nail “It’s not that, I mean if you see my room in my actual house it’s not much different from my room in the dorm”  
The blunette put down the board “I’ve never been to your room”  
“Oh right” she smiled, “I think only you and Junpei had never been there”  
A frown was on his face “Well that makes me feel better”  
“Don’t say that” she rubbed her hands on her thighs “According to Yukari it’s almost like a second lounge, too much expensive furniture”  
“Only the best for Mitsuru-sama” Minato teased as he went over to her.  
“Oh shut up” the redhead pulled him by the collar until his face was on the same level as hers “If you’re boring that makes me predictable”  
“Predictable isn’t as bad as boring”   
“It is . . .” she lowered her head “Because everyone seems to have a certain idea of what you’re going to do and they use it to their advantage”  
“Well, then why don’t we do something that is predictable but isn’t” Minato suggested.  
She looked up and gave him a confused look “How is that possible?”  
“It’s something Mitsuru Kirijo would be caught dead doing” his hands went over to her thighs “But it’s something a normal high school girl would be doing when in her boyfriend’s bedroom”  
At this she almost jumped to her feet but he kept her down “Your sister could hear us!” she blushed “She already thinks we’re doing it!”  
“Well then” he smirked “It’s time we proved it then”

* * *

  
Everything eventually comes to an end. All journeys have a destination. All chapters come to a close. And sadly this was one of them. While Mitsuru wished she could literally travel around Japan she had responsibilities to face, they both had something to get back to.   
There was Dark Hour and the possible main monster to slay. There was the Kirijo Group to handle. But mostly what they were to face in Tatsumi Port was their unlikely future.   
This must be why Minato felt as though this were the last time he would be in Inaba.  
“Didn’t I tell you to refrain from doing a certain... .thing” Naoto was very red as they were going to say goodbye to the two.  
Mitsuru kept her head low “I . . . apologize for . . . that” she gave a glare to her blue-haired kohai.  
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he said with a blank expression.  
Yakushiji then spoke “The Master sends his apologies for not being able to see you out”  
“Its fine” Mitsuru brightened “Please tell him that I enjoyed his company earlier and would love to visit again”  
The secretary gave his usual smile “He would love that”  
“I guess we’re off” Minato’s gaze then went over to Naoto who while trying to look calm and collected was actually fidgeting a bit.   
“Master Naoto has missed you greatly” Yakushiji spoke which made the young detective blush “She always looks forward to your calls”  
“Yakushiji” Naoto said gritting her teeth.  
Minato went over to his sister “You know, solving cases and finding the truth may be exciting and worthwhile. But having no friends to support and be there for you makes everything you’ve done worthless” he pressed his lips together “I learned that the hard way”  
Naoto looked at the older boy in the eye “I . . . I’ll keep that in mi . . .” she was then cut off by the sudden feel of arms wrapped around her.  
If this was indeed going to be the last time he would ever see her, he would give the tightest hug he could possibly do “I’m sorry” he whispered to her ear “I should have been a better brother”  
The young girl’s shock was immediately replaced by tears forming in her eyes as she returned the hug “You weren’t perfect . . . but you’re still my brother” she pressed her face against his chest “You’re the only family I got now, so please . . . come back”  
A bittersweet smile formed on his lips “I love you” he kissed her forehead before ending the embrace.  
Naoto mumbled something against his chest before they untangled themselves but he assumed it was what he thought it was.  
Mitsuru watched as the two said their goodbyes “So . . . that’s what it’s like to have a sibling”  
///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////  
“Looks like they’re still at school” Mitsuru said as they entered the empty Iwatodai dorm.   
Minato checked the time on his phone “Its lunch time”  
A companionable silence passed between the two.  
Only to be broken by the sound of feet and a bark.  
“Koro-chan” Minato went over to greet the albino Shiba Inu who seemed very very happy at their return.  
Mitsuru smiled and went over to the dog “So how was everyone while we were gone? Did anything break?”  
As a reply, the dog barked and went over to the kitchen.  
The two then looked at each other and at the kitchen “It’s either he’s hungry or something went terribly wrong”  
“That doesn’t make sense Yukari is a better cook than the both of us” Mitsuru rubbed her chin as she followed the dog who was barking again as if saying ‘come look’.  
Minato stayed crouched on the floor and counted “Five, four, three . . .”  
“OH MON DIEU WHAT HAPPENED IN HERE!?”

* * *

  
“OK, I have a very good explanation for this”  
“There is nothing much to explain really”  
“Shut up I’m thinking of something!”  
“We should have hidden it before we went to school”  
“How should we know that they were coming back today?”  
“How long was that thing in there again?”  
“Woof!”  
“SHUT UP KORO-CHAN YOU TOLD THEM ABOUT THIS”  
“Please do not blame Koro-chan, even if he didn’t tell them about it they would eventually see the damage you did to the oven because of how blatantly obvious it is”  
Minato just watched as his teammates argued on whose fault it was to blame for the hole, yes hole, they had in the kitchen. Mitsuru was next to him on the couch rubbing her temples and he was sure the girl was just stopping herself from executing all of them then and there.  
Finally, Akihiko slammed his fist against the table “OK ENOUGH!” it was very effective as all eyes immediately went to him, including Mitsuru. “We should just tell them what happened”  
“Should we?” Junpei rubbed the back of his head “I mean, we’re gonna get that little thing fixed anyway, there is of no need to know how that uhh obstruction came to be”  
“You almost tore down the entire wall of the kitchen, and not only is the stove gone but there are burnt marks on the fridge” Minato crossed his hands “Look, I know that you guys aren’t the best of chefs but that is absolute overkill”  
“You should tell that to Yukari then next time she asks Aigis to exterminate a rat” Ken muttered.  
Mitsuru raised a brow “Exterminate? A rat?”  
“Well you see” Fuuka spoke up “Junpei and Ken were on dish duty and they weren’t exactly doing their job to the point where all the dishes and cookware were used”  
At this Junpei did a shaky laugh “Oh come on Fuuka don’t say such things about me”  
“Would you shut up for once” Yukari smacked the man in with the hat.  
“So, me, Yukari and Aigis tried to sort out the dished while Akihiko-senpai gave the two boys punishment” Fuuka continued “But it turns out that the dishes were so dirty that a family of rats had been nesting there”  
At this, Yukari flinched “Please, don’t remind me”  
“I just did what Yukari-chan told me to do,” Aigis told the two leaders, “She told me to exterminate the rodents so I did”  
Minato swore there must be a sweatdrop on his head “You committed firing squad on the poor rat family”  
“Don’t give pity to the rats!” Yukari whined before Mitsuru gave her a look and she shut up.  
“Wait, you said the rats were in the sink . . . then why is the stove the one missing and the one where the hole is?” Minato blinked.  
At this Junpei went over to the field leader and held onto his shoulders “You know you’ve had a long trip, why don’t you relax first and we’ll settle this in the morning eh? I’ll give you a massaaagggeeee”  
At this Mitsuru gave a certain glare. A certain glare that was last seen in the hot springs of Kyoto. It was a look that gave fear to all men including ‘death. “Iori, what did you do”  
“I REPENT MY LORD!”

* * *

  
It was around two in the morning and as per usual, Minato was having problems sleeping. He knew it was useless to try and tire himself into sleeping so usually he would spend his nights either playing a video game (sadly that game was now removed) or browse the deep dark internet.  
As of now, Minato had found himself looking upon how during the 1950’s Muslim Egyptians laughed at the idea of imposing the hijab on women.   
“The more you know,” the wildcard user said as he browsed through other tabs. It was in here that he heard he noticed his phone vibrating; he couldn’t hear the ring because he had headphones on.  
“Hey” he answered.  
“Hi . . .” it was Mitsuru “You still have trouble sleeping?”  
“As always”  
“Would you . . . like to come up my room?”  
Yukari had been right when she said her room looked like another lounge, the wallpaper was the same, the carpet was the same even the furniture. The only difference was that Mitsuru’s TV was bigger and that there was a bed.  
“Did anyone see you come up here?” the redhead asked as she moved in the bed so Minato could get in, she was dressed in a white cotton pyjama shirt and matching shorts.   
For once Minato was wearing a shirt, but that was mostly because he didn’t want any of their teammates to think he was some exhibitionist or something “Koromaru is currently guarding your door”  
“Should we let him in?” she asked, “I don’t feel comfortable with him being alone, I know he’s a guard dog . . .”  
Just when he was comfortable in the bed Minato got out “I’ll get him in”   
Mitsuru observed as the teen opened the door and signalled the Shiba in to come in. A lot had really changed in the past year, heck a lot had changed in the past three or so days they spent on their road trip.  
When Koromaru was finally comfortable with sleeping on one of the couches in the room Minato finally returned to the bed “You seem to be thinking about something” he said lifting the blanket.  
“It’s just . . .” Mitsuru shook her head “I didn’t expect I’d let a boy sleep next to me”  
At this Minato raised a brow “I’m pretty sure we’ve crossed that stage yesterday”  
The redhead blushed “I wasn’t talking about that!” she spanked his shoulder.  
“Yukari is really rubbing off you” he commented.  
“I could say the same for you regarding Junpei” she countered.  
At this, he frowned “If there’s anyone rubbing off me it’s Akihiko and his insane exercise routine”  
Mitsuru hummed and went closer to him wrapping her arms around his waist “You know when you said goodbye to your sister earlier . . . it felt like you were really saying your last goodbye to her”  
He remained silent.  
“Are you having doubts . . . about Nyx?” she whispered the last part.  
The blue-haired teen sighed “Just making sure, I’ve hurt her enough”  
“She’s a strong girl” Mitsuru held him tighter “She may be aloof and try to keep a distance but in the end, she’s just a soft girl who doesn’t want to be alone”  
He closed his eyes “Hopefully she’ll grow out of that”  
“How about you? Do you finally have an idea of what you would do once all of this is over?” she asked.  
“I’ll just see what happens”  
She frowned.  
He put an arm around her “You need to sleep, you’re gonna have to talk to the board about how you dumped your fiancé”  
“You really have no agenda in life?”  
“I do, I just don’t wanna say”  
“Why?”  
“You might jinx it”   
“What?”  
Minato let out a yawn.  
“You’re really not telling me”  
“Some things are better left unsaid”  
“. . .”  
He sighed “Fine, I’ll give you a hint”  
She smiled “What”  
He faces her “It involves you”  
Her face reddened.  
“Now goodnight”  
. . . .  
“Minato . . .”  
A groan “What?”  
Her hand cupped her face and she kissed him.

* * *

  
2010 was an eventful year.  
She had finally graduated and was now a freshman at the University of Tokyo studying a degree in economics. While she was not in full control of the Kirijo Group as she decided that she would let a trusted senior head manage the company while she concentrated on her studies.   
The SEES had disbanded as soon as it was clear that Dark Hour was gone. While not all shadows were exterminated The Fall had been prevented and their work was done. Everyone was now enjoying their normal lives. Yukari was now captain of the archery team and was being scouted as a model, Junpei was still the class clown but he seemed to be participating in a lot of voluntary work lately particularly ones involving kids, Fuuka had finally come out of her shell and was currently interning in one of Kirijo Groups labs during her spare time, Ken was back worrying about homework with Koromaru as his mascot, Akihiko was studying criminology but he rarely attends classes, and Aigis was becoming more and more human every day.  
If only he were still here to see this.  
Mitsuru was currently in the middle of her Economic Development class but she wasn’t paying attention to the lecture. Instead, she was looking around the rest of the class observing them, while the majority were taking notes some were asleep, others were doodling and a few were like her daydreaming.  
She played with the cylindrical mp3 player that dangled from her neck, while she normally doesn’t use it during classes it had become a habit of hers to touch it every once in a while.   
As the professor droned on about the economic state of Japan her eyes shifted to the back row, she was currently at the left side middle. As soon as she did this her eyes caught the attention of a certain person. Her eyes widened.  
This was impossible.  
He was dead.  
His body was already buried.  
Yet why was Minato Arisato in her class reading a book?

 


End file.
